Price of Love
by Rose Mistress
Summary: Yugi, heir to the Light Kingdom, runs off, not wanting to become king. He meets a raven and black fox that takes him to another world. Now he has the choice to stay or go. What will he choose?
1. Running Away from Home

Zypher: Well, I had another idea for a new story that I want to start so without talking so much here, welcome to my newest story, Price of Love.

Disclaimer: I don't even have enough money to buy a stick of gum. So I couldn't possibly own it, or else I would have a unlimited stock of gum.

Summary: Yugi, heir to the Light Kingdom, was sick and tired of his life, especially since he was to soon become the king. He runs away from the palace into the harsh winter night, trying to look for a place where he can start a new life. He fell unconscious from the cold and saw in his dreams a black fox and a raven. Both had scarlet eyes which was very unusual. Even since that dream, he happened to see either the black fox or the raven somewhere on his journey. What do they mean and are they leading him to somewhere safe, or to his death?

* * *

Price of Love

Chapter 1

* * *

"But I don't want to be the king! I'm not ready to take these kind of responsibilities!" Yugi shouted to his parents. He was in the throne room of the Shine Palace, the heart of the Light Kingdom. Yugi was the prince and was soon to become king because of his father's dying heart. "But Yugi, you are the heir. You can't deny your duties as a prince." his mother, Shiori, said.

"I know, mom, but I'm just not ready to do this." Yugi said. "I'm sorry son, but she is right, I won't be alive long enough and I really hoped to not let you become king of the Light Kingdom so soon. I wanted to wait when you was older but I guess my heart is too weak to give me my wish." his father, Kitargi, said.

Yugi sighed before he nodded. "I'm glad you understand, Yugi. In a few days, we will start to invite other palaces here so you can find yourself a bride." Shiori said. "No! I don't want to look for a bride yet! I'm still trying to get over the fact that I will become king soon!" Yugi said, tears coming to his eyes before he ran out from the throne room.

"Yugi, wait!" she said as she went to follow but Kitargi held her back. "Let the boy rest now. He has been through too much knowing all of this now." he said and she sighed before nodding. "I hope he will be ok." she said.

* * *

Yugi ran into his room and shut the door. "Why did I have to become a prince? Why I have to be king soon? Why? Why? Why?" Yugi said as he sat down on his bed. "If I wasn't here, I don't have to worry about all this." he said once more before he got an idea. "If I leave the palace and go far away where they can't possibly find me, I don't have to become king cause technically, I'm not a prince outside palace grounds." Yugi said as he got up from his bed and started packing a small bag with some clothing and books.

When it got dark, he snuck out from his room and headed downstairs and into the kitchen, packing away some food as well. "I'm going to miss being here but if it's the only way to prevent me from becoming a king, then I have to. I'm not ready for all this, I'm only sixteen." Yugi said to himself before he left into the dark winter night.

* * *

As he got farther away from the palace, the once gentle fall of snow became a harsh snowstorm and not even the thick fur blanket his father gave him protected him from the cold. _'I need to find a place to stay before I die out here.'_ Yugi thought. But through the expanse of forested area, he couldn't find anything. He continued to walk blindly through the storm, the cold affecting him with each step. After a while, he fell to the ground, his bag sitting beside him. _'I can't make it. I'm going to die out here.'_ he thought as he fell unconscious.

* * *

In the deep recesses of unconsciousness, Yugi was floating in a sea of darkness. _'Where am I?'_ he thought. Soon, the darkness left and he was back in the forest once more but the storm was calmer now. _'I'm still in the forest, but didn't I fell unconscious because of the cold?'_ he wondered as he walked around, keeping the fur around him but didn't feel no sign of the cold air on his skin. He then saw something black run by and he turned quickly to see what it was but it was gone. He heard a caw and looked up to see a raven sitting on a branch.

The raven looked to him curiously, scarlet eyes gleaming softly. _'That's odd, a raven shouldn't have scarlet eyes.'_ he thought. He saw another black form coming towards him and looked towards it, seeing it was a black fox. _'And foxes shouldn't be black. What's going on here?'_ he thought. The raven cawed again before flying off, the black fox following behind it. "Wait, don't leave me here!" Yugi called. The fox stopped and looked back to him before making a motion with its head for him to follow before running off once more.

Yugi followed behind them but the more he ran, the more farther the raven and fox seemed to get. He soon couldn't see them no more and fell to his knees. _'A black fox and a raven, both with scarlet eyes. What could this mean?'_ Yugi wondered.

/Follow the Black Fox and Raven and they will take you somewhere away from this world. New secrets to you will be unfurled. If you wish to stay then tell them so, or else you will be brought back to your homeworld./ A voice spoke before the scene of the forest disappeared and Yugi didn't see no more.

* * *

He finally woke up with a groan and looked around. He saw he was back in the forest once more and the bite of the cold winter air surrounded him again. _'Follow the Black Fox and Raven and they will take me somewhere away from here. What could that possibly mean?'_ he wondered as he got back up and started walking once more.

It was getting close to midnight as he continued his trek through the snow covered forest. Soon, he saw something black sitting a few yards away from him. He got up closer to it and saw it was the black fox from his dream. _'But, how can it be real? I thought it was all a dream.'_ Yugi thought.

The fox looked to him with those scarlet eyes before nodding and started walking away. "Wait, do you want me to follow?" he asked. The fox turned to him and nodded again before running through the snow. Yugi didn't hesitate this time and followed behind the fox. They continued to run, the storm dying away as Yugi followed the fox but he didn't notice it. His thoughts were only on the black fox and where he was taking him. The fox finally stopped and so did Yugi. He looked around and saw they were at a large lake, the moon shining upon it from parted clouds.

"Where are we?" he asked the fox but saw he was gone. He then heard a caw and looked up to see the scarlet eyed raven flying overhead. /Follow the raven little one and you will soon reach paradise. If you do not like it, then you will soon come home./ The voice spoke again and the raven flew off over the lake.

Now, Yugi would follow the raven but he didn't have a way to cross over. /Cross over little one, you will not fall./ The voice spoke and he did so, taking a step onto the lake and it only rippled softly. He took more steps onto the lake and seeing as he wasn't falling in, he made his way across the lake, hoping that he didn't loose track of the raven.

When he was on the other side, he saw the raven perched on a branch, waiting for him. When he was under the branch, the raven flew off at a slower pace, Yugi now walking behind the raven. Soon, the raven stopped and landed. Yugi stopped behind him and saw a empty field.

"Where are we?" he asked the raven. The raven turned to him before heading into the field but he disappeared as he stepped through. Yugi watched in awe and and still thinking he should follow, he walked into the field as well and disappeared through the barrier that was there.

When he was inside, he realized he was in a whole nother world. This one filled with darkness and shapeshifters. He looked around in awe though he was slightly scared of his surroundings. The raven crooned from above before perching onto his shoulder, bobbing his head towards the palace that rests in the heart of the kingdom.

/Go, go to the palace little one. There you shall me the one that will take care of you. If you like it here, you can stay but if not, then you have a wish to leave. But you will never know, what lies beneath the night's dark glow./ The voice that led him here spoke.

He nodded before he headed towards the palace, hoping that whoever would be taking care of him would be friendly even in this dark kingdom of demon shapeshifters.

* * *

"Yugi? Yugi, are you ok?" His mother called through the door as she opened it. She didn't see no sign of him, only an empty room. "No...he couldn't have..." she said softly before leaving the room, heading towards the guards' quarters. She opened the door to the head guard's room. "Jounouchi! I need you to gather some of your guards and head out into the forest! Yugi is missing!" she said to him and he got up quickly.

"Prince Yugi! How did he go missing?" he asked as he got dressed into his armor and placed his scabbard on his side. "He must've snuck out tonight. I hope he isn't hurt out there. You know about the hidden Dark Kingdom, our rivals for that matter. If they find him, who knows what may happen." Shiori said. "I know, my queen. We will find him and bring him back safely." Jou said as he left from the room.

_'I hope you aren't hurt Yugi. I still remember what that dreaded king tried to do. Not even a pact with their kingdom would make me want to do something so horrible.'_ she thought as she remember that day.

-Flashback-

Everyone in the Light Kingdom was celebrating the birth of the new prince, heir to the throne. Many of the other kingdoms were there as well. The doors opened to the throne room and a cold gust of wind blew through. Shiori looked up, holding Yugi close as she saw two forms appear in the doorway. They walked towards the throne and stopped. "Ah, dear Shiori. I see you finally have had you heir." One said.

"King Yami and Lord Aqua, what brings you here?" she asked. "Why, to see your child." Yami said as he walked towards her and looked into the amethyst eyes the young child possessed. "Such a beautiful child you hold, Shiori. Maybe he will be the bond that will bring the Light and Dark kingdoms together." Yami said.

"What do you mean?" Kitargi asked. "Your child, if we make a pact with your kingdom, we want him to stay with us." Yami said. "No! Absolutely not! Even for a pact, I will not give up my child! He is to be the new heir to the kingdom and you will never have him under your care!" Shiori shouted.

"Temper, Shiori. Yes, he may be the heir but think. For how long will that last? What about your husband's condition? What happen if his heart were to give out at the worse possible time of your child's life and he is to become the new king and get married all at the same time? He may not want that and may leave, and when he does, we will be there to take care of him." Aqua said as he caressed Yugi's cheek softly.

Shiori pulled him away, glaring towards him. "He will never do such a thing. He will understand his responsibilities." Shiori said. Aqua snorted slightly. "Keep believing that. I can see he will become a fine prince with a rebellious side. You will see soon enough. We'll be on our way now but we congratulate the birth of your son." Aqua said. They soon became a raven and black fox and left. One solitary feather fell onto the velvet blanket that was wrapped around Yugi and he looked to it curiously before picking it up with chubby hands.

Shiori watched him before looking to Kitargi. "Kitargi, you don't think they may say the truth, do you?" Shiori asked as she heard Yugi laughed as the feather rubbed against his nose. "I don't know, Shiori, but I pray to the gods that they are not true to their word." Kitargi said. She nodded as she looked down to Yugi, a carefree child that has become only the beginning to a whole new life for the Light Kingdom.

-End Flashback-

_'And now that he's gone, those two will find him and take him to their palace. I hope their intentions won't be as I think.'_ she thought as she headed back to her room to tell Kitargi what happen.

* * *

Zypher: Well, that's it for the first chapter. Yes, I made Yami and Aqua sound a little like they were planning to use Yugi for something, or whatever you would've thought when reading that part but I have no intention of making them evil. That will only be in The Demon of Oz. Anyways, I hoped you had enjoyed the first chapter to my newest story and will review. See you in the next chapter.


	2. Tour of the Shadow Palace

Zypher: Hello, hello everyone. I thank you all for you wonderful reviews for the last chapter of Price of Love so I present to you, the second chapter. Enjoy as always.

Note: References of monsters from different FF games will be used due to the lack of demon ideas XP. I will mention which ones come from which games (even if there are more versions of them, it's the fact of which form I like them XD) at the end of each chapter they are used in.

* * *

Price of Love

Chapter 2

* * *

When he finally reached the palace, the dark, ominous gates opened for him and he walked inside. He continued on until he reached the large, black doors. He stayed back though, seeing two large statues, or what appeared to be statues. Two large drakes with small, wing-like fins sprouting from the side of their heads stood on each side of the door, menacing gold eyes stared into nothing.

The raven on his shoulder cawed and the two drakes looked to him before nodding and pushed open the doors with their tails, letting Yugi gain entry into the castle. Yugi looked to the raven silently and he only crooned softly before leaving his shoulder and flying inside, cawing as he went.

Yugi followed him inside and when the door closed with a resounding bang, he jumped and almost lost track of what he was doing. He went after the raven before he lost him and stopped when he didn't see him no more. "Hello? Where did you go?" Yugi called as he looked around again.

A shadow with dark eyes watched him before getting a silent command from someone and came out from the shadows and tapped Yugi's shoulder. He jumped up again and looked up to the bony dinosaur-like creaturethat appeared before him. /Do not be afraid young one. I'm just here to take you to the king. He has been waiting to see you./ the demon said and Yugi nodded as he followed him.

"Who are you?" Yugi asked quietly. /I am an Monolith, an undead creature born to protect this castle and those that live here./ The Monolith said as they finally came up to a door. /The king wishes to see you now. You can enter and he will take you on a tour of the castle and such before taking you to your room. He left me to watch over you so I'll be there./ he said once more before he left after opening the door for Yugi and taking his bag.

Yugi walked inside and gasped in awe at the throne room. The room was all black like the castle but it was more polished than the outside. It was decorated with drapes of many dark shades and candelabras of all sizes surrounded the room as well, the candles lighting up the room with a dim glow.

He looked around before seeing a shadowed figure sitting on the throne. "Um, hello?" Yugi whispered as he walked closer very slowly. "No need to fear you new home or the people that are here. We will treat you well." he spoke as he stood up and walked towards him.

Yugi was even more in awe when he saw the king but didn't look directly to his face. _'He looks exactly like me. How is that possible?'_ he wondered but didn't ponder on it much as he felt a hand under his and lift his head to look into the red gaze of the king. "Would you like a tour of the kingdom now?" he asked. "Yes, if it won't be any trouble. I do not want to take you away from any duties you needed to do today." Yugi said.

"It's quite alright, little one. It was getting rather boring in here anyway. Come, I know you would wish to see your new home." Yami said as he took Yugi's hand gently and walked out of the throne room. _'I can't believe it? The king is going to let me stay here in the castle with no exceptions. Oh, I hope he doesn't learn I'm the heir to the Shine Palace throne. He may send me back.' _Yugi thought worriedly, never noticing Yami watching his every expression. _'Do not worry. I will never let you go back to your kingdom. You shall stay with me and Aqua for as long as you like unless you wish to go back.'_ he thought.

* * *

They soon came onto a balcony that faced the entire city inside the hidden Dark Kingdom. "Welcome, Yugi, to the Dark Kingdom. Our kingdom is no different than the one you came from or anyone else's. We just rather keep ourselves in secrecy unless we are summoned to balls, get-togethers or other such things other kingdoms plan." Yami said. Yugi look upon the kingdom in wonder. "Yami, do you hold anything here in your castle?" Yugi asked.

"No, not really. We don't bother much with such troublesome things. I think they are nothing to worry about much. I can tell kingdoms have these kind of things just so they can get their precious daughter or son married and ready to take the throne. We don't need such since we are of a demonic shapeshifter race so we don't bother much with heirs or heiresses since we're immortal until we are stripped of our rank by vote of the people." Yami explained. _'You don't know how right you are about parents wanting to marry off their children.' _Yugi thought but pushed that thought away quickly.

"Is there anything else you want to show me of your wonderful kingdom, Yami?" Yugi asked. "Yes there is. Come with me." Yami said as he took Yugi back inside the castle, down to the bottom level and outside towards the stables. "I want you to meet with our mounts that we have here in the kingdom. These are very rare beasts that only strive here in the expanse of our kingdom, both inside and out." Yami said. "Really? I thought the kingdom was all that it was behind this magical barrier." Yugi said.

"No, not at all. The forest that you went past is filled with beasts of all shapes and sizes. On this side of the lake is where all these beasts will stay except those that can survive in water or fly then some may head over to the other side and stay there just for feasting and such. You can see that we aren't the type to takes care of horses, chocobos or unicorns. We mainly take care of the beasts that are willing to be tamed and wild animals that are apart of our transformations such as wolves, foxes and tigers." Yami said as they reached the stables. The stable hand, Marik, looked up before bowing down to him. "Hello there, King Yami. What brings you here?" he asked.

"Nothing much, just came to show our new guest some of the mounts we take care of here. Yugi, this is Marik, our stable hand and backup warrior. Marik, this is Yugi." Yami introduced. _'He looks so much like Malik back at home. But I can't reminisce now or else I just may think about going back.'_ Yugi thought.

Marik smiled and shook his hand. "Welcome to the kingdom, Yugi. So, what brought you here to the kingdom?" Marik asked. "I really don't want to talk about it." Yugi said, not wanting them to know of his relation to the Light Kingdom but he didn't know that Yami knew about it already. "Ah, ok then. Well, as much as I would like to talk to you, I need to get these reptiles fed before going to train the new recruits with Bakura and Seto. It was nice seeing you, Yugi." Marik said before he headed back inside.

"Shall we go in as well?" Yami asked and he nodded as they went inside. Yugi, once again, was in awe when he saw all the different beasts that was held inside. There were so many. Drakes, dragons, reptiles, even sacred beasts that were only heard in legend. _'This is way better than the unicorns, chocobos and horses we raise back at home. I think I will never leave here.'_ Yugi thought as he walked beside Yami up to a stable.

"Here is my mount, the Guardian Beast or as I named him, Sacred. Sacred, this is Yugi." Yami said and the large dragon looked down to him before moving a tentacle of his wing to caress Yugi's face, seeing as he couldn't nuzzle him with his large horns in the way.

Yugi laughed softly and reached inside to pat the dragon's head lightly before moving away. "He's really nice." Yugi said as he looked up to Yami. "Yes, he is until it's time to battle then he is quite fierce and won't be all that nice to his opponent." Yami said before leading Yugi over to another stable.

They continued to look through all the stables, meeting up with Marik again as he went past before coming back to the start of the stables. "So Yugi, did you pick which ones you would like. You can have as many as you like since most don't have a rider and they all seem to like you well." Yami said.

"Well, I don't want too many so I'll go with Granaldo, Anacondaur, Agama and the Blue Dragon for now. If I wish to have more by my side, I'll ask." Yugi said as the four beasts came up behind him. Yami smiled and nodded. "Alright but there's no need to ask me. You can always come back here and get another beast for yourself." Yami said. "Now, let's get back inside. It's starting to get late and with everything you went through just to get here, you need the rest." he continued and Yugi nodded as he yawned softly.

Yami laughed quietly before leaving out of the stables, Granaldo picking him up gently and flew out of the stables as well, the other three following behind him.

* * *

Jounouchi, along with Kaiser, Malik, Topaz and Diamond, looked through the forest. "I don't think we'll ever find Yugi through this storm." Diamond said. "We have to look everywhere. If he's not here then the queen's worries are true and he has been led to the Dark Kingdom by King Yami and Lord Aqua.

"You heard her yourself that day she asked us to be Yugi's bodyguards. She told us that the King and Lord of Dark Kingdom wanted Yugi. The reasons are still unknown though but she rather not loose her son to them just in case they're up to something that involves him." Jou said.

"But if that's true. How in the world are we going to find him? Queen Shiori said that the Dark Kingdom is always hidden unless you are led there by someone from the kingdom itself and that rarely happens unless they are invited to one of the kingdoms and even that's useless since they don't come anyway." Topaz said.

"We'll find a way and the only lead I have so far is crossing the lake into the forbidden territory. I can make a guess that if their kingdom is so hidden that no one knows where it is and that no one crosses the lake into that territory, we may get a lead to the kingdom by going there." Jou said.

"But we still have a problem. How are we going to get there. After that accident with the mysterious monster that took down a few boats in the lake, no one would cross it on a boat and we don't have many gold chocobos since their population is low and the same goes for the Water and Mountain chocobos. The Water and Earth kingdoms are trying to breed more to deliver to us as we speak but that won't happen til the winter is over." Diamond said. No sooner that she said that, a large beast came past them as quick speed.

They saw a flash of white and saw a young unicorn was in the giant dinofish's mouth as the beast turned to them. "That's a Dinictus. What's it doing here?" Kaiser wondered but got hit by Topaz. "What does it look like? It's getting dinner and if we don't get moving, we going to become an after dinner snack." Topaz hissed before they ran off, the Dinictus beast coming up behind them, its previous meal left behind.

* * *

Shiori paced inside the room, Kitargi watched her. "Do not worry, Shiori. Yugi will be brought back safely." Kitargi said. "But I don't know if I should believe you. At the most, Yami and Aqua knew that he left the palace and already took him to their palace." Shiori said before sitting down on the bed beside her husband. "They were right. But how did they know this beforehand? How would they know that Yugi would run away?" she spoke to herself.

"I am still wondering that as well, dear, but Jou and the others won't give up on him. If they can't find him or the Dark Kingdom then we will have no choice but to wage war on them to get Yugi back." Kitargi said. She sighed before nodding. She really didn't want to go into war, not because of the fact she doesn't want to hurt her son in any way while he's there, but because of the monsters they train. The monsters they had on their side were completely different to those that roam this side of the lake and because of it, no one know their weaknesses and such.

She didn't want to risk the lives of her people because of a war with the Dark Kingdom. _'But that may be where it leads to if Yugi isn't back in the palace before his father dies.' _she thought sadly. She called for a servant and told her what to do. _'If we do have to go to war, then I may need all the help from each of the kingdom's magicians to get pass the Dark Kingdom's monsters.'_ she thought once more before going to sleep, twisting and turning restlessly in bed. Kitargi watched her silently, knowing she was worried about going into war with the Dark Kingdom.

_'But she knows that if I die and Yugi's not here to take the throne, then we will have to get him back by force. We were a peaceful kingdom, never needing to resort to violence and this may be the first time, especially with a kingdom we consider a rival. I hope that Yugi will learn that even he can't escape from his duties.'_ Kitargi thought before he too, went to bed.

* * *

After being dropped off into his room, Yugi would've went to sleep but he then thought the same thing his parents did. If his father was to die, what can he do? He really didn't want to leave the Dark Kingdom but he knew if he didn't, his mother may have to wage war with them to get him back.

_'I don't want that. Yes, Yami has many beasts that could help in battle but I don't want no one to get hurt, whether it's from here, the Light Kingdom, or any other for that matter.'_ he thought and sighed lightly. _'I just may have to go back if I get word my father has died.'_

He heard a light caw and looked to the window to see the raven again. The raven flew over and landed on the bed. Yugi looked to him before gasping lightly when he saw the raven shift in form and became a dragon. "And what are you worrying about, little one?" Aqua asked. "Oh, are you Lord Aqua?" he asked and he nodded. "Now, what makes you worry so much?" Aqua asked again.

Yugi sighed softly. "I didn't want to say nothing but I'm really the heir to the Shine Palace throne but my father has a weak heart and if he dies, I was to take the throne and get married all at the same time but I didn't want to do that so fast and so soon. So I ran away and came here, following you, and I'm guessing Yami was the black fox, here. I love it here and I don't want to go back but if I don't, my mother may just have to wage war upon your kingdom to get me back." Yugi explained, tears coming to his eyes.

The beasts that were in the room listened quietly before Agama came over and climbed onto his bed and lied his head on Yugi's lap, Yugi moving to pat the large reptile's head. Aqua wiped away his tears. "You don't have to go back if you don't want to. This is your choice and if you wish to stay, then you can. But if you feel that you should go back, then you can. It all depends on you and we won't hold you back from your choice. You do what feels best, Yugi." Aqua said and he nodded before moving Agama out of the way softly and moved to hug Aqua.

"I really don't want to leave but I may have to when my father dies." Yugi said softly, still hugging Aqua. "I really don't want to go back home." he said once more before he started to cry, Aqua rubbing his back soothingly. "Don't worry Yugi. You can stay here as long as you like. We'll send someone to watch over your father's condition and if he dies before you make you decision whether to stay or go, we'll all go back to the Light Kingdom and you can make your decision then. If your decision is to stay with us then your mother will have to get used to it because we won't let you go if you decide to stay with us." Aqua said and he nodded.

"Now, get some rest. I'll have someone come in to wake you up for dinner." Aqua said and he nodded once more as he got under the comforters and Aqua tucked him in. "Have a good rest, Yugi." Aqua said as he stroked his hair lightly before leaving the room. Agama laid beside Yugi while Monolith, Zairu the Blue Dragon, and Anacondaur slept near the door or window just in case an intruder came. Granaldo laid at the base of the bed and made sure Yugi was asleep before he went to sleep as well.

* * *

Aqua went to the throne room where Yami was for the time being and looked to him. "So, what should we do about Yugi's little problem with his parents?" Aqua asked. "I got it taken care of. I sent Seto and Ruby to watch over dear Kitargi. If he even falls from exhaustion, they will make sure he's back up again.

"They may know he has a weak heart but they will never know when he plans to die. We will extend his little heart problem until Yugi is more comfortable here and is willing to be with us as more than friends and then we'll see what he chooses. If he wishes to still go back to his home, we will be there beside him and leave either Seto or Ruby to take our place. I still can't trust with Bakura, Toben, Marik or Crimson ruling over an entier kingdom yet." Yami said and he nodded.

"If he does stay, I hope Shiori will understand. She's so bent on getting Yugi ready for becoming king and getting a wife, she doesn't even know what he wants. Hopefully she'll learn if Yugi decides to stay with us. She should know Yugi is ready to make his own decisions now, not have her to make them for him." Yami said and Aqua nodded.

"Don't worry, I have a feeling she will when that fateful day comes. When we are ready to let his father die and he goes back to the Light Kingdom to give his decision, she will learn that she will have to let him go, whether it's to become king or to live with the one he decides to love." Aqua said.

But then he remembered something. "Wait, Yami. Wasn't that go for nothing princess Anzu from the Fairy Kingdom supposed to be coming here in a few days?" Aqua asked. "Oh great. I wanted to forget about that until the point when she arrives. We'll do something about her when she gets here since there will be no way of stopping her from coming here anytime soon." Yami said with a heavy sigh.

Aqua nodded once more before he left Yami to do whatever he wishes. _'Since I have been reminded of that princess coming here soon, I need to clear my mind. Maybe Sacred would like to take a walk again. He deserves one.'_ he thought before getting up and heading to the stables once more.

* * *

Zypher: Well, that's all for this chapter. Once again, I'm on a FF craze but I blame it on the cute song I couldn't help but listen to over and over again that someone made on DeviantART. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will review. I'll see you all next chapter. If you need a visual on these monsters, give me your e-mail address in your review and I'll send you the links to three websites that have the pictures of the monsters. And if you want, I'll give you the link to the song I listened to as well, you will be laughing alot when you hear it.

FF monsters used:

Blue Dragon - Final Fantasy VIII  
Monolith - Final Fantasy X-2  
Anacondaur - Final Fantasy X  
Granaldo - Final Fantasy VIII  
Agama - Final Fantasy X-2  
Guardian Beast - Final Fantasy X-2  
Nidhogg (the drakes at the beginning of the story) - Final Fantasy X  
Dinictus - Final Fantasy X-2

Note 1: In Final Fatasy VIII, Granaldo has scythes for hands so I'm making a modification and giving him claws instead.

Note 2: Monoliths are in the race of Doomstones which are basically monsters trapped in stone. Any that are Doomstones (Tomb, Demonolith, Dolmen, Epitaph) won't be in stone but just bony dinosaurs/dragons with the same head, claws ect. that you can see protruding from the stone they're trapped in.


	3. Arrival of the Annoying Princess

Zypher: Well, I think I had you all waiting long enough so here's the next chapter to the Price of Love. Enjoy.

* * *

Price of Love

Chapter 3

* * *

Later that night, Yugi woke up to someone licking at his face and he opened his eyes to see Agama there, looking down at him. He yawned softly before he sat up, Agama crawling over the bed until he was at the edge. "Is it time for dinner already?" he asked. /Yes, King Yami and Lord Aqua are waiting for you. They told us to wake you up and bring you down to the dining hall./ Monolith said. Yugi nodded and got up, freshening up before he followed the beasts downstairs and towards the dining hall.

Yami looked up and smiled. "Ah, glad you came down. We have a nice feast ready. Please, sit down and eat to your heart's content." Yami said Yugi nodded with a wide smiled as he fixed his plate with one of each item that was laid out on the table. Yami and Aqua did the same, servants that were in the room making plates for the beasts and laid them out for them. Yugi looked up from his meal. "Are we the only ones here tonight?" Yugi asked.

"No. Bakura, Crimson, Marik and Toben will join with us eventually." Aqua said. Yugi nodded before he continued to eat.

* * *

Back on the other side of the lake, the Dinictus gave up it's chase and went back to its meal. Jou and the others were up in a tree to avoid to beast's sight. "Is it gone?" Diamond asked. "Yeah, it's gone. Now, while we're up here, we need to think of a way how to get across the lake." Topaz said. "Wait, couldn't Ryou transport us over the lake." Jou asked. "He can but he may only get us halfway and the last thing we need is to drown once we get to the center of the lake." Diamond said.

"But Diamond, aren't you studying light magic as well?" Malik asked. She nodded. "Yeah, I am. Why?" she questioned. "I think I know. Since you're studying light magic, maybe you and Ryou can combine your magic together and get us across the lake." Jou said. "You know. I never thought of that. By the gods Jou, that might be the first ever smart thing you thought of not related to battle strategies." Diamond said with a small laugh as she climbed down the tree. "Yeah, that is pretty smart..." Jou started but then realized what she said. "Hey! That's not funny!" Jou said as he followed her down.

Malik, Kaiser and Topaz laughed as well before they climbed down as well and followed their two friends back to the Light Kingdom to get Ryou.

* * *

As the dinner went on, Bakura, Marik, Toben and Crimson arrived at the dining hall, greeting Yugi. "So, you're the one that followed Yami and Aqua here. I'm guessing you really wanted to get away from wherever you came from." Bakura said as he piled his plate with food before sitting down.

"Yeah, I guess I did, didn't I? I really didn't know it was them until I noticed Lord Aqua was the black raven with scarlet eyes." Yugi said as he finished the last of his meal. "Yugi, there is no need to call us that. I say its a waste of time." Aqua said as he too finished his meal.

"Do you wish to go back to your room, Yugi?" Aqua asked and he nodded. Aqua got up and so did Yugi. "Come on, then. Yami, I'll see you back in your room." Aqua said and he nodded. "Ok then." Yami said before going back to his dinner. Aqua escorted Yugi out of the dining hall, the beasts following behind them silently.

* * *

When they finally picked up Ryou, they headed back to the lake. "Are you sure this is a good idea? The lands across the lake is dangerous and forbidden. What makes you think he would be over there?" Ryou asked. "He has to be. Queen Shiori already sent out some sentries to the others kingdoms and they all came back, saying that none of the kings or queens seen Yugi in any of their domains.

"The only guess we have is that the Dark Kingdom is somewhere over there and we have to find it or else the queen will be forced to wage war on the kingdom and we may surely lose with the beasts they raise over there. Not even I can make a strategy to get past them." Jou said.

Ryou nodded. "Alright." Ryou and Diamond concentrated their magic into a transportation spell and soon, they were across the lake with no problems. "Well, that was easier than expected. So, what are we going to do now?" Kaiser asked. "Well, I suggest we split up and look around for any sign of a barrier. Since the kingdom tends to be hidden somewhere in this forest, there has to be a barrier somewhere." Malik said.

"We could go with that idea if we don't plan to loose anyone while we're at it." Diamond said. They nodded and soon, they were off, Malik with Topaz, Jou with Kaiser and Ryou with Diamond.

* * *

The next day, Yugi was woken up by Zairu. /Little one, it's time to wake up. Lord Aqua wishes for you to join him on a small ride through the kingdom to better acquaint you to our lands./ Zairu said. Yugi nodded and got up, getting himself ready before he was led by Zairu down to the courtyard where Aqua was waiting with two large wolves. "Ah, Yugi. Glad you can make it. Are you ready to go?" he asked and Yugi nodded.

"Alright then. You can take Rosell and I'll take Qazere." Aqua said as the Blackrock Worg walked over to Yugi's side and knelt down so he could climb on. Yugi did so and Rosell stood back up again. "He's a magnificent beast, Aqua. Where did you get him and Qazere from?" Yugi asked as they rode out of the palace gates. "These race of wolves are all around the forest. We never did learn where they came from but there are only so many so we find those of different kinds and bring them here to the palace to raise and breed." Aqua said.

"So far, we have Qazere who is a Lupos breed, Rosell who is a Blackrock Worg breed, the Gorefang, the Deathmaw, the Old Cliff Jumper, the Prowler, the Ragged Scavenger, the Razormane Wolf, the Slavering Ember Wolf and the Snarler. We have many others, including different big cat breeds, Dragonspawns, Gnolls and the majestic Winged Serpents which I can show you another time when we go to the aviary dome." Aqua said and Yugi nodded.

When they made it to the village, people bowed before Aqua as they walked by and some children even came up and asked about Yugi. When they were done there, they headed into the forest. Unfortunately, this is where the problem comes in.

* * *

Ryou and Diamond continued to walk through the forest, keep an eye out for any wild beasts that may be living in the forest. "Are you sure we may find the barrier to the kingdom somewhere around this forest? What if it's farther away than we intended?" Ryou asked. "It may or it may not. We can't let the queen be forced to fight the Dark Kingdom and it's beasts." Diamond said before she stopped when she spotted something or someone riding through the forest. "Wait, it can't be..." she said and she finally got a good look at who was walking.

"What is it? Is it Yugi?" Ryou asked. "No, worse. It's Princess Anzu from the Fairy Kingdom but what is she doing here and how did she get across? She was the only inhabitant of the Fairy Kingdom that didn't have wings." Diamond said.

"Maybe the Sky Kingdom loaned or gave her a pegasus to fly over the lake but like you said, what could she be doing here?" Ryou questioned again. "You don't think she could possibly know the way to the Dark Kingdom do you?" Ryou asked as he turned to Diamond.

"I hope not but as much as I depise her, she may be able to lead us there. Come on." Diamond said and he nodded as they followed her.

* * *

_'I know I said I wasn't going to come for a few days but I'll bet they'll be surprised to see me. Oh I can't wait.'_ Anzu thought. But then she saw Aqua coming by and her smile widened as she called for the pegasus she gotten from the Sky Kingdom and mounted onto her back before running towards him, never seeing Yugi there beside him. "Oh Lord Aqua! Lord Aqua! I came early!" she shouted to him.

* * *

Aqua heard her shout and looked to see her coming their way. _'No, not now. Not while Yugi's here with us.'_ Aqua thought as she finally came to a stop before him. "Oh, Lord Aqua. I never thought I would catch you out here riding. What's the occasion this time? Did you know I was coming?" Anzu asked. He growled softly. "No, not really, I still thought you wouldn't be coming for a few days. I was showing our new guest the forest." Aqua said as Yugi came from beside him. He was wondering what the Princess of the Fairy Kingdom was doing here.

_'And how does she know Aqua? I thought the Dark Kingdom kept themselves hidden from any kingdom on the other side of the lake.'_ Yugi thought. _'Wait, isn't that the missing prince from the Light Kingdom? What in gods name is he doing here?'_ Anzu thought before turning back to Aqua. "Well since I'm here early, Lord Aqua, shall we head back to the palace and talk about the merging of our kingdoms?" Anzu asked and he sighed before nodding. "Come on, little one. We better get back." Aqua said as Quazere walked off.

Rosell followed behind him and so did Anzu and her pegasus.

Yugi looked over to Aqua before asking the question that's been bothering him. "Aqua, what did she mean by merging your kingdom with hers?" Yugi asked. Aqua sighed, not really wanting to tell him, fearing that it may affect his decision but knew he will find out about it soon enough. "What she means is that her parents wants her to marry us in order to merge our kingdom with theirs. She wasn't suppose to come for a few days but I'm guessing something happened to make her come earlier than expected." Aqua said.

Yugi felt a pang of hurt from hearing this. _'But why? I couldn't possibly like Yami and Aqua, could I?'_ he wondered as they soon made it to the barrier and walked through.

* * *

Ryou and Diamond followed them until they reached the barrier and saw them go through. "Well, I do believe that's the barrier. Should we go see if we can find the others and tell them we found the kingdom?" Ryou asked as he looked to Diamond. "Yeah, that may be the best idea than going through right now and seeing if we can get Yugi back ourselves." Diamond said as they left once more to go loke for the others.

* * *

When they arrived back to the kingdom, Aqua placed Qazere away and Yugi was going to do the same for Rosell but he wanted to stay with him so he let him. Aqua took him back to his room until dinner and then left with Anzu towards the throne room.

When they were gone, Yugi sat on the bed, looking solemn. Agama, Monolith, Zairu and Anacondaur watched him before Monolith walked over to him. /What's the matter little one? What makes your emotions so depressing?/ Monolith asked. "Well, the princess of the Fairy Kingdom came to us today and she said that she came early to talk more about the merging of her kingdom with the Dark Kingdom. Every time I think about it, I feel a pang in my heart at the thought of Yami and Aqua marrying her." Yugi murmured.

Monolith finally realized what Yugi was going through. Even after his short time here, he has thought of Yami and Aqua more than friends and with Anzu being here, trying to convince them to merge their kingdoms together, he feels as though he doesn't belong here if they do agree with her request. _'This will definitely affect his decision on whether to stay or go. And I can tell Yami and Aqua won't be happy if he goes.'_ Monolith thought.

/Don't worry. I'm sure that King Yami and Lord Aqua will not choose to merge their kingdom with that 'princess'./ Monolith said. _'And we'll make sure she doesn't even get the chance to do so for Yugi's sake.'_ he thought. Yugi smiled softly. "Thanks for comforting me. If I didn't think about that, I think I would've made the decision to head back home." Yugi said.

/Don't ever think about going home, Yugi. You don't know how that would make Yami and Aqua feel. They really care about you and want to do everything to make you feel comfortable here in the Shadow Palace./ Anacondaur said. Yugi nodded. "You're right. I don't want them to feel alone, even if they did decide to marry Anzu. I know that without me there beside them, they won't be the same." Yugi said. _'But the problem is, do they still think I'm their friend or more like I do when I think of them?'_ he thought silently.

Monolith ran a claw along his back. /Why don't you get some rest, Yugi? We'll wake you up when dinner is ready to be served./ Monolith said and he nodded as he climbed over to the top of the bed and lied down. Zairu walked over and placed the blanket and comforter over him. /Rest well, Yugi./ Zairu said and he nodded before he went to sleep.

Once he was deeply asleep, Zairu and the others gathered near the door. /What should we do about that princess? With her around and making advances on King Yami and Lord Aqua whether she wants to merge the kingdoms or not will cause problems and makes Yugi change his decision and most likely head back to his home. We cannot let her do that./ Agama said.

/I know. We all know that. We will have to deal with her ourselves. We can tell King Yami or Lord Aqua how Yugi is feeling right now but we know they cannot do anything to her or else the Fairy Kingdom will wage war on us for the loss of their princess. We will have to do everything we can to make her leave and forget any chances of merging our kingdom with hers./ Anacondaur said. /Then what are we waiting here for? Let's go and tell them now before she tries anything./ Rosell said and they nodded as Monolith opened the door quietly and they all slipped out without waking Yugi and made their way towards the throne room.

* * *

Back outside the barrier, Diamond, Ryou and the others were gathered there. "So, this was where the kingdom was hidden for so long. No wonder no one could find it." Malik said. "So, you said that you saw Yugi, the princess of the Fairy Kingdom and another walk right through here?" Jou asked and Ryou nodded. "Yes, that's what we saw." Ryou said.

"Well, if we're planning to get Yugi back, we have to go in and hope to not get in trouble or cause any while we're there. Remember, the Dark Kingdom has many trained beasts in there, ready to attack if need be and we don't need to be loosing anyone before we can even get to the palace." Diamond said and they nodded. "Well, let's get moving then." Topaz said and they all nodded once more as they walked through the barrier into the Dark Kingdom.

* * *

Zypher: All done. As always, please review and I'll see you in the next chapter.

Note: The list of wolves are monsters from World of Warcraft along with the big cats, dragonspawns (will be added later), gnolls (also will be added later) and winged serpents. Head to the Allakhazam website and you will see a screenshot of some of them that I may add into the story. For the record, I do not own World of Warcraft.


	4. Battle in the Forest

Zypher: Hello and thank you for all your reviews. I hope you will enjoy this chapter like all others.

* * *

Price of Love

Chapter 4

* * *

During dinner, Anzu continued to go on with their soon-to-be marriage and all, never knowing she was making Yugi more depressed. Yami saw this and growled, seeing the reason for his sadness. _'She will pay for this. Not only by coming earlier than expected but also rambling on about a marriage that won't even happen. She's upsetting Yugi and I won't tolerate this.'_ he thought.

He gave Aqua a slightly pleading look and he nodded. He turned to Yugi. "Yugi, are you finished with your meal? If you are, we can head to the aviary dome and look at the winged serpents, wyverns and some of the small dragons we have there." Aqua said.

He nodded and got up from his chair, waiting for Aqua. He bid goodnight to Yami and Anzu before leaving out with Aqua. When they were gone, Yami turned back to Anzu and glared at her. "That is enough from you. Your stay here will be only for a week. After that week, you are to not come back." Yami said.

"But why not? Our future rides on this visit. Do you not want to merge our kingdoms together?" Anzu asked. "No, I do not. You visit here is pointless and a waste of our time. We have found the one we wish to be with and it isn't you." Yami said as he got up.

"Now if you don't mind, I'm going to head back to my room. If you wish to go to yours, look for one of the Nightstalkers that are guarding the palace and they'll lead you to yours." Yami said as he left. She sighed as she finished her meal and did as she was told. She felt saddened that Yami didn't want to take her proposal but she wouldn't give up and will try everything she can to convince him along with Aqua otherwise.

_'I can't give up. My parents need a strong kingdom merged with them and with the Dark Kingdom on our side, who knows what possibilities we'll have.'_ she thought as she confronted a black and silver Nightstalker and followed him to her temporary room.

* * *

Yugi followed Aqua towards the large dome and when they got there, he opened the door for him and he walked inside. When he took his first step into the room, he was in awe at the many creatures flying around.

"Wow, I never seen such creatures before. Are they the winged serpents you were telling me about?" Yugi asked. He nodded and gave a sharp whistle, calling a few of them down. One curled around his neck while the other two examined Yugi. One flicked his tongue out, tickling Yugi's cheek and making him laugh softly.

The flying serpent then perched himself around his neck and laid its head on his. He held out his arm and the other curled around his outstretched arm. "I see that Arash-ethis and Hayoc like you very well. I can see that the others will as well but at this time, they would be asleep so we can come back tomorrow. Would you like to see our two wyverns? They may look frightening but I know they will like you just as the winged serpents do." Aqua said.

He nodded and Azzere, who was still curled around Aqua's neck, flew off and they walked towards the end of the dome.

They, Yugi saw the two wyverns. One was red with a plate of black scales coming from the top of his head down to the tip of his snout while the other was green and almost looked similar to the first. He was amazed by the magnificent beasts and looked to Aqua. "They are so wonderful, Aqua. Do they have names?" he asked.

"Yes, the red and black wyvern is Rathalos and the green is Rathian. They're the only known wyverns along with a few others that we were able to domesticate and raise here. These two though have been the brunt of our forces when it comes to war." Aqua explained and he nodded.

Rathalos raised his head and looked to them with blue eyes, cocking his head as he gazed down at Yugi. Yugi took a step back as the beast got up and walked towards him. Aqua placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"Don't worry, he won't hurt you, he's just curious of who you are." Aqua said and he nodded as the large beast lowered his head and sniffed him. Yugi raised a hand and placed it on Rathalos' snout. He closed his eyes and nuzzled Yugi's hand, already liking the boy. He smiled and started to stroke his head, hearing the wyvern purr deeply.

Aqua smiled and walked over to Rathian who was now awake and watching the two. She looked down to Aqua and lowered her head, nudging Aqua for him to pet her. He did so and watched as Rathalos with Yugi on his back walked around the dome, letting Yugi meet with the other winged serpents and smaller dragons. As it was getting later and Yugi was ready to fall asleep upon Rathalos' back did they leave.

Aqua took Yugi back to his room and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before leaving the room silently.

* * *

Later in the night, everyone was asleep peacefully except for Yugi. He tossed and turned in his sleep, whimpering lightly before he bolted up awake and looked around before sighing._ 'I would hate to make a decision that may affect Yami and Aqua but if they do plan to marry Anzu, there's no reason for me to stay. It would only cause me more heartache.'_ he thought as he got up. He looked around to make sure the beasts he chosen weren't around before packing a few things into his bag and left out his room.

He quickly made his way towards the castle entrance, slipping past the Nightstalker guards silently and left out. He sighed once more as he looked back to the castle, a slight tear coming to his eyes but he wiped it away and started to make his way towards the barrier surrounding the hidden kingdom.

* * *

Diamond and the others were in an inn, glad that the owner didn't recognize them as people of the Light Kingdom. Everyone but Jou was asleep. He was staring out the window that happened to be facing the castle.

_'Yugi, I hope you're alright in there. We will get you out of there and take you back to the palace before your mother has to do the worse just to get you back.'_ Jou thought before he headed to bed. He just missed the chance of seeing Yugi heading by the inn and towards the entrance of the kingdom.

* * *

Back in the aviary dome, Rathalos woke up and looked around, feeling that something was amiss. He got up, careful to not wake up Rathian and left out the dome through the entrance made for them. He looked around and saw Yugi's shadowed form leaving the kingdom and whimpered softly before following, hoping to convince him to not leave.

* * *

Yami's eyes snapped open and he sat up. _'Something's wrong.'_ he thought and as soon as that thought passed, a Nightstalker walked inside. "King Yami, there's is a problem." he said. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Rathalos left the dome and heading towards the city and we have gotten word from Zairu that Yugi is gone." The Nightstalker said and Yami immediately got up.

_'No, Yugi couldn't have left.'_ he thought before looking to the Nightstalker. "You, go back to your guard duties, I'm taking Rathian and looking for Yugi. If need be, keep an eye on Anzu's room to make sure she doesn't leave for any reason." Yami said and he nodded and he left the room.

Yami placed on a pair of pants and boots and left the room as well, quickly heading towards the aviary dome and over to Rathian. She woke up and looked to him. "Come on, Rathian. Yugi's gone and I can't bear to lose him." Yami said and she nodded as Yami hefted himself onto her back and she was off.

* * *

Yugi finally reached the entrance to the kingdom and looked back once more, tears trailing down his face before he left out. But before he could get to the lake, he heard a roar and looked up to see Rathalos there. He landed and looked down to Yugi, his eyes showing concern and sadness.

His rumbling purr was filled with question as he lowered his head down and nudged him lightly. Yugi placed a hand on his snout. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay. If I stay longer then I might be more heartbroken than I thought possible." Yugi said.

Rathalos shook his head, letting out another short, low roar and nudged him towards the barrier to the kingdom once more. Yugi shook his head and backed away from the barrier. "I can't go back, Rathalos. It will only make me feel worse." Yugi said as he left from the barrier and into the forest. Rathalos watched him leave and roared softly.

* * *

Yugi walked through the forest, hoping to make it through before something could happen. He didn't noticed he was being watched by a behemoth. The royal purple beast watched as he walked before following.

_'He would make a great addition to the pack. Catoblepas will be very interested in him.'_ The behemoth thought as he caught up with him and caught him with his claws. Yugi gasped and tried to get away but the large beast had a strong grip on him. "Let me go!" he shouted, trying to wriggle free from him.

/No, you will come with me and meet Catoblepas. We have always waited for a mortal to come but none would never show into the Dark Kingdom. Not until you came./ Behemoth said as he carried him away. "No! What do you need me for!" he shouted once more. /Catoblepas will tell you everything once we get to the den./ Behemoth said.

* * *

Yami and Rathian found Rathalos and with a series of snarls and growls, Yami understood. "He can't be too far then. We must find him before the Behemoths get to him." Yami said, feeling horribly guilty for not metioning Yugi about the behemoths that lived in the forest. Of course, he couldn't really blame himself since he wasn't expecting Yugi to leave out the castle in the middle of the night.

He raised his head when he heard Yugi's shouts and climbed onto Rathian's back once more. "Come on! I just heard Yugi and he's in trouble!" he said and both wyverns roared as they flew towards where Yugi was.

* * *

Yugi didn't bother to struggle anymore and looked around as the behemoth took him towards the den. When they were halfway there though, Rathalos landed in from of them and growled. The behemoth growled as well. /Move out my way. I need to get back to the den./ the behemoth said.

Rathalos growled once more and Rathian landed behind the behemoth, Yami jumping off her back. "Let him go Behemoth!" Yami shouted and the behemoth turned to him. /Why? Catoblepas has been waiting a long time for a mortal to come to the Dark Lands and he's the only one./ he said.

"We have made a pact. If we were to ever get the prince of the Light Kingdom, Catoblepas can't have him for magical purposes." Yami said. Behemoth looked down to Yugi before letting him down. /I didn't realize this. Sorry to have bothered you then./ The behemoth said.

"It's quite alright. Just a misunderstanding. Just try not to make this mistake again." Yami said. The behemoth nodded before leaving once more. Yugi watched as he left before getting up. Yami walked over to him. "Why did you leave, Yugi?" he asked softly.

Yugi turned to him and seeing the sad look in his eyes caused tears to come to his own. "I'm sorry, Yami. I just thought I wouldn't be needed here since Anzu's here and I thought you and Aqua may marry her." Yugi said, looking down. Yami knelt down and placed his hands on his shoulders.

"Yugi, I will tell you this. Anzu is nothing to us. She's only a princess that wishes to get power as told by her parents. With our creatures, the possibilities are endless with what a kingdom merged with us could do. We don't want our creatures to be used in that way so her visit here is pointless. Our main concern is with you and your impending decision with whether you will stay with us or go back to your kingdom." Yami explained.

Yugi looked back up and smiled softly, nodding. Yami smiled as well, wiping Yugi's tears away. "Come on, let's get back to the castle." Yami said. Yugi nodded but then Yami looked up abruptly. Yugi was worried. "What's wrong, Yami?" he asked. Yami stood up and looked around, both Rathian and Rathalos growling lowly.

"Something's coming, Yugi. I want you to stay back." Yami said. He nodded and stayed behind Yami. A form showed through the shadows of the trees, a menacing growl coming from the monster.

It came out through the trees and revealed itself to be a T-Rexaur. Rathalos and Rathian growled once more, ready to attack the beast. More growls came and one T-Rexaur after another appeared. Yugi shivered in fear and held onto Yami's shirt.

"What are they?" Yugi asked. "Those are T-Rexaur. Very annoying beasts that always come when there's some sort of meal present. They must've heard your shouts and the Behemoth coming around. They normally take spoils from a Behemoth's meal." Yami explained.

The T-Rexaurs growled again, looking towards Yugi. Rathalos roared as charged for the nearest T-Rexaur, making a sharp turn and hitting the large dinosaur with his tail. When he was knocked down, the others charged in.

Yugi whimpered and Yami picked him up quickly. "Hold on, Yugi." He said and Yugi did so, watching in awe as leathery, black wings appeared from Yami's back and he flew up into the air just in time to avoid being caught by another T-Rexaur that slipped by Rathian.

They watched from above as the fight went on. Some of the T-Rexaurs tried to team up on them but it was fruitless as Rathian hit them with her tail, causing the poison encased in the spikes of her tail to be injected inside of them.

Yugi turned his head away from the battle and looked to Yami. "Yami, I have a question." Yugi said and he looked down to him. "What is it?" he asked. "I know it's not really important in this situation but how do you have wings? I thought your form was that of a fox." Yugi questioned.

"Yes, it's my primary form but every king that has stepped up to powers needs more than one form. So in basic terms, me and Aqua can shift into any beast we want but it will never be our true primary form. Everyone in the Dark Kingdom has a primary form and that's the one they will always shift into if there's danger present or that beast's ability will come in handy with everyday life." Yami said. Yugi nodded befor he heard a pained roar and looked down. Rathian fell to the ground, a major bite wound in her leg and bleeding heavily.

The T-Rexaurs that weren't being attack by Rathalos prowled towards her, ready to use her as a meal. "Oh no, we have to help her Yami or she will die!" Yugi said and Yami nodded. "Let me think real quick, I may just have an idea." Yami said as he flew over to a tree and placed Yugi down on a sturdy branch. "Stay here and don't make any sound." Yami said and he nodded.

Yami flew away towards Rathalos. "Rathalos, go and help Rathian before she is hurt more. I might be able to call some of the wild beasts to help us out since it will take too long to call for Catoblepas and the behemoths." Yami said and he nodded as he charged towards the T-Rexaurs, biting and slashing his way through them to reach Rathian.

Yami landed and whistled long and loud. A howl accompanied his whistle and a purplish-white form came towards their location. The beast stopped before him and Yami knelt down to him. "Fenrir, I know you don't normally help many that is not part of your pack but we have a situation here. Can you help us?" Yami asked.

Fenrir looked towards the T-Rexaurs before nodding and went to attack. Yami got up once more and flew up towards Yugi once more and picked him up. "Rathalos! We're heading back before something else happens! Once these T-Rexaurs are taken care of, help Rathian get back and I'll take care of her wound." Yami said and the wyvern nodded as he batted away another T-Rexaur.

Yami soon flew away, Yugi holding onto him.

* * *

They soon mde it back to the palace and he landed at the front of the doors. He let Yugi down and they both walked inside. "I hope Rathian is alright. I didn't want to cause this much of a problem." Yugi said softly. "It's alright, Yugi. I will not blame you for anything. Just please don't leave us again." Yami said and he nodded.

"Now, why don't you head back to bed? I'll stay up and wait for Rathian and Rathalos to get back." Yami said. "No, I want to make sure she's alright as well. It is partly my fault that she's hurt. If only I didn't leave." Yugi said, looking down.

"Yugi, it's not your fault. You just left by unknown judgment. If it wasn't for Anzu talking aimlessly about something that won't even happen has hurt your feelings and made you doubt of your stay here. There's no need to worry about her anymore. She is nothing but a nuisance that will be gone in a week if not shorter after what she made you thought and her shamelessness could've got you killed out there." Yami said and Yugi nodded.

"I have another question, Yami. What is it with the behemoths? They look evil but it seems that you have a pact with them. Why's that?" Yugi asked. "Their prince, Catoblepas, is on the verge of loosing his magical powers and that could be a deadly thing. So he has asked us to find someone, mainly a mortal, to bring so he could transfer his power to that person until he can recover and able to hold the magic that he can't keep within him.

"The behemoths may be fearsome beasts but they really do need this help now, especially with the sudden death of their king which happen a while back. Since we're all demons over here, someone from any of the kingdoms except the fairies on your side will do but they have to be willing so it wouldn't cause problems and also not turn on the behemoths and use Catoblepas' magic on them. They're beasts who can use thunder magic but Catoblepas' thunder magic is stronger than there's so it may be impossible for them to absorb his magic." Yami explained and Yugi nodded.

Soon, they heard a roar from outside and they left to head outside to see Rathalos there, Rathian on his back, sleeping even with the wound. Fenrir stood beside him, looking to them. Yami walked over to Rathian as she was placed on the ground and he went to heal the wound in her leg.

Yugi walked over to Rathalos and pat his head when he lowered it and them looked to Fenrir who watched him. He walked over to him and kneeled down. "Is there something you need Fenrir? You know you can go back to your pack now." Yugi said.

/I know but I wish to stay here now. After seeing you, I know many dangers will come to pass and you will need all the help you'll need is King Yami is not there to help you./ Fenrir said. "But what about your pack? Wouldn't they been worried that you never came back?" Yugi questioned.

/They know that I am gone. Even though I am not there, they will protect the forest from intruders and from any dangers that may come to the kingdom. The kingdom is part of our pack now and we will take care of it like our own./ Fenrir said and he nodded.

After the wound was healed, Yami got up and both Rathalos and Rathian, who woke up, left back for the aviary dome. He then looked to Yugi and Fenrir. "If you wish to stay with us Fenrir then you may. Would you like to have your own room in the palace?" Yami asked.

/No, I will stay with him. Many dangers may fall upon him and you or Lord Aqua may not be there to help him. But the beasts as well as myself, whether wild or domesticated, will be there to help him./ Fenrir said and he nodded.

"Come then, it's very late and we don't need to worry anyone else if they find out we're missing." Yami said and they nodded as they headed back into the castle and into their rooms.

* * *

Zypher: There, that's all for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. See you all next chapter.

Monsters

Fenrir: Final Fantasy XI (look on allakahzam for a picture of him under summoned)  
T-Rexaur: Final Fantasy VIII  
Rathalos and Rathian: Monster Hunter  
Arash-ethis, Hayoc and Azzere: World of Warcraft


	5. Meeting Catoblepas

Zypher: Hello everyone and welcome to the next chapter of Price of Love. I thank you all for your reviews so I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Note: Since I'm now on an obsession with playing the new Shadow the Hedgehog game, I plan to add only one of the Black Arms monsters in here and they are the Black Volts (or Black Hawks) that Shadow is able to ride on certain stages. I love them since they are like cute little black and red wyverns. Squee!

* * *

Price of Love

Chapter 5

* * *

The next day, Yugi woke up to Zairu's gentle nudging. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked to him. "Is breakfast ready?" Yugi asked and he nodded. "Come, Yami wants me to bring you to his room to have breakfast. Anzu will be eating alone this morning." Zairu said and he nodded as he got ready and soon followed Zairu towards Yami's room.

* * *

When Anzu made it downstairs, she wondered where Yami and Aqua was. She walked over to the nearest Nightstalker guard and asked about their whereabouts. "They are in their private quarters having breakfast with their guest. You are to eat in the dining room and then be ready to pack your things." The brown Nightstalker told her. "But-but why?" she stuttered.

"You have angered them with your talk about something that will never happen. They have decided to not marry you and have their kingdom merged with yours. They have other things in mind and with you upsetting their guest has not made them happy. He attempted to try and run away last night and could've possible got himself killed out there. The cause of that was you and your talk so they want you to be gone now." The Nightstalker explained.

She tried to think of who their guest was and then remember the young boy who was sitting at the table last night.

_'If I'm not mistaken, I think he was the missing Light Prince that ran off. The Queen of the Light Kingdom is still searching for him. Maybe if I tell her that her son is here, she will come and get him and maybe I can have another chance with merging our kingdoms together. Obviously he's the reason they don't want to do so.'_ she thought before she did as the Nightstalker said and went to the dining room to eat.

* * *

As they were eating, Azzere flew in through the window with a note in his mouth and went to curl around Yami's neck. "What's this, Azzere?" he asked as he was handed the note. He unrolled it and looked it over before smiling softly. "Ah, I'm glad she's coming." he said. "Who's coming, Yami?" Yugi asked, very curious.

"An old friend of ours. She says she learned that you are here and she wants some of the dragons to stay here and watch over the kingdom just in case something was to happen." Yami said and he nodded.

They continued to eat, feeding some scraps to Azzere until he left and a guard came in to tell that their friend was here. "Great, send her in." Yami told him and he nodded as he left out. "You will definitely love Keara, Yugi. She's a really good friend." Yami said as another Nightstalker came in and took their trays.

They waited, talking a little bit more until the door was open once more and a girl walked in. Aqua smiled as he got up and gave a hug. "Nice to see you again, Keara." Aqua siad as she returned the hug.

"Same to you, Aqua." She said as she was released from the hug and she walked over to the bed where Yugi still sat. "And I believe you are Yugi. Nice to meet you." Keara said as she held out her hand. Yugi took hers and gave it a short shake.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Keara." Yugi said. She smiled and looked over to Yami. "Well, as I know, since you have the Prince here, the Light Kingdom may wage war and I want to leave Tirranun, Voxx, Vishimtar and Nafagen here to watch over the kingdom." Keara said and he nodded.

"That would be great, Keara. Have you set up a place for them to stay?" Yami asked. "Yes, Tirranun has an underground cave filled with lava. Vishimtar has a island in the sky. Voxx has a cave of ice on one side of the lands and Nafagen is in one of fire on the other side. They will come out if they were to feel any sort of disturbance that comes here and will try to stop it if reasoning with them doesn't do anything to help." Keara explained and he nodded. "Great, that will do wonders for us. Will you be staying as well?" Yami asked as they walked out from his room and towards the gardens.

"But of course. You didn't forget about the festival, did you?" Keara questioned. "Oh yes, the festival of the Black Volts. We did forget about it since we have an annoyance here right now." Aqua said. "You don't mean?" she started.

He nodded. "Yes, Anzu's here but she won't be here for long. She's leaving today for something she did." Yami said. "What did she do this time?" she asked as they made it out to the gardens. "We'll tell you later." he said.

While they were talking, Yugi walked over to Aqua who was standing next to a bush of flowers and tugged on his shirt, causing him to look down to him. "Aqua, what is the festival of Black Volts?" Yugi asked.

"This festival is to celebrate the arrival of winged dragons called Black Volts. They always come to stay here for a month or two before leaving back to their home. Since they only travel to one spot of their choice every 100 years, we celebrate their arrival since they chose our kingdom to stay in." Aqua explained. Yugi nodded and Aqua took him to sit on another bench.

"What day are they to come?" Yugi asked. "Sometime tomorrow night. A few may stay with us so be on the lookout for one of them." Aqua said. "How do they look so I'll know." he asked again. "They have red and black scales, four eyes of a golden color and only wings as their mode of transportation. They may be around half your size if not smaller so if someone was to have them as pets, they can carry small items and sometimes even people if they're trained to be strong enough to carry a person." he explained and Yugi nodded. "They sound very interesting. I can't wait to see them since this will be my first time."

"I know and I have a good feeling you will like the festival that will happen before their arrival. We'll be going down to the town to join in the festivities." Aqua said and Yugi nodded, a smile lightening his features.

Everything was quite peaceful in the gardens until Anzu came in. "King Yami, I wish to ask if you would reconsider your option of making me leave." she said. "I will not change my decision. You have upset Yugi and that's not something I will take lightly. We are not having any form of marriage and I would never join our kingdoms together. I have something much more in mind about marriage and it isn't with you." Yami said.

"Oh, and you're saying the Light Kingdom's Prince happens to be part of this? I bet you haven't even known him for that long." Anzu said with a huff. "Actually, we known him all his life. We have watched him, giving him small gifts until his time when he is ready to come to our kingdom for refuge from his life as a prince on the other side of the lake. We may know him as a prince of our so called enemy kingdom but we treat him as a person." Yami said. She huffed once more and turned her back to him.

"Fine, if that's what you want then I don't care but this won't be the last time I'll be coming here. I'll be back one of these days and I will make you agree to marry me." Anzu said before leaving. "You can try all you want but I'll make sure you won't even get past the barrier." Keara said. Anzu only sneered at her and left through the door once more.

"I tell you, I'm glad our father didn't make an arranged marriage with her when we were young. I don't think I could take her incessant talking any longer than this." Yami said. "I agree with you on that one. I myself wish she didn't learn about this kingdom from her parents." Keara said.

* * *

Back in the Shine Palace, Shiori was having her own predicament. Like the healers told her, her husband's heart was to fail sooner or later and it seemed everytime he has fallen, some force was to get him back up. She even checked to see if his heart finally failed and when she didn't feel nothing, a second later, his heart was beating once more. _'Something is going on and I can only guess who is doing this.'_ Shiori thought.

Up above in the shadows of the rafters, Seto and Ruby watched closely, making sure she didn't get to close to finding out who it was keeping her husband alive. All they knew is if she found out they were behind it, she may start the war earlier than expected. "Seto, shouldn't we do something so she won't find out we're the cause of her husband still being alive?" Ruby asked.

"No, as long as we keep hidden, she won't suspect a thing. She may think the Dark Kingdom may be the cause of it but she doesn't have proof of it unless she see us." Seto said and he nodded once more as they left from the hall and towards the queen and king's room to watch Kitargi.

* * *

Yugi heard what Yami told Anzu before she left and looked back to Aqua. "Is it really true that you both came to watch over me during my childhood?" Yugi asked and he nodded. "Yes. You may have heard from your mother of how bad the Dark Kingdom was and we didn't want you to believe her so we left little trinkets and gems from our kingdom to you to show you we aren't any different from any other kingdom. We just rather keep ourselves more secretive from others from the decisions they may try to make such as what you saw with Anzu." Aqua said.

He nodded, now finally learning what the mysterious gifts he kept receiving when he was young were from. A while later, Keara walked over to where they sat and Aqua looked up to her. "Well, hello Keara, is there something you need?" he asked. "Actually yes, I remembered that you once told me that the Prince of the Behemoths is loosing his power, right?" she asked and he nodded. "How bad is it now?" she asked again.

"We don't know since we haven't went to check on him recently. Yami told me earlier that one of the behemoths mistaken Yugi for a regular human and tried to take him back to their den but didn't get far last night." Aqua explained.

She nodded. "Should we head over and see about his condition? I think I may have a way to heal him back to full health by tonight if we leave now and Yugi is willing to help." she said, looking over to him.

"Sure, if there's any way I could help, I'll be glad to." Yugi said and she nodded. "Alright then. I'll go ask Yami is he would like to come as well and I'll met you two at the castle entrance." Keara said and they nodded as she left once more and they headed back into the castle to wait for her.

* * *

Back in town, everyone was awake and ready to head to the palace. "Is everyone ready to go?" Jou asked and they nodded. "Alright then, let's get going and make our way to the castle. I really want to get out of here soon." Jou said as they left out.

Ryou looked around to see the people setting up for the festival. "I wonder what they are setting up for?" he asked. "If I remember from a book I read on the Dark Kingdom, they're setting up for the Festival of the Black Volts that should be traveling here to stay for a month or two before heading back to their home." Diamond said.

"Do you think we may be able to see them?" Ryou asked. "I don't think so. We're not going to stay here long. We're just going to see if Yugi is in the palace. If he is, we need to get him and leave. There's no reason for us to stay here any longer." Kaiser said.

"There's the castle now." Malik said as he pointed to the looming black structure before them. "Well, let's get moving so we can get out of here before someone realizes we're from the Light Kingdom." Jou said as they made their way to the castle.

* * *

Keara walked to the gate entrance where Aqua and Yugi were waiting. "Yami said he didn't want to come so it'll just be you, me and Yugi." Keara said and he nodded. "Alright, let's get going then." Aqua said as he knelt down to let Yugi climb on his back and Keara let her own wings appear on her back. Soon, they were off towards the forest.

Yugi looked down to watch as the inhabitants of the Dark Kingdom prepared for the festival and then thought he saw something peculiar. _'That can't be. My mom couldn't have possibly sent my friends to look for me, did she?' _he wonder as he tried to see if they were down there but didn't see them again.

Aqua turned to look to him. "Is something wrong, Yugi?" Aqua asked. "No, just thought I saw something but it was nothing." Yugi said and he nodded. "If you're sure." Aqua said as they reached the forest and started heading in the direction of the behemoths' den.

When they got there, they landed and Yugi climbed off Aqua's back as they went inside. The behemoth from before came over to them and bowed before Aqua. "Lord Aqua, what brings you here today?" he asked. "We came to see about Catoblepas' condition." Aqua said and he nodded. "Come with me then." he said as he walked ahead of them and they followed.

Yugi looked around the den as he walked, amazed at the lifestyle of the behemoths. soon, the reach a part of the den where the prince resided. "He's in here. Are you planning to help him recover?" the behemoth asked and he nodded. "Yes, he will be fine hopefully before the day ends." Aqua said and he nodded as he left them to do what they needed.

They walked inside and saw Catoblepas laying on his bed, breathing harshly as sparks of lightning came off from him a few times. He opened white eyes and looked over to them. "Ah, Lord Aqua. Nice to see you again. Have you found someone to hold my power while I heal?" he asked softly. "Yes, Catoblepas. We have someone and I will help heal you so you don't have to wait long." Aqua said as he looked over to Keara.

She nodded as well before looking to Yugi. "Are you ready to help, Yugi?" she asked and he nodded. "Alright, here what you need to do." she said as she held her hand out an in a flash of lightning, a trident appeared in her hand.

"This is Karana, Lord of Storms, trident. It's strong enough to be able to hold Catoblepas' thunder power long enough for me and Aqua to heal him so he can have his power back. But since it's so powerful, you can't hold it on your own so I'm granting you his power so you can hold his trident along with Catoblepas' until we get done." Keara explained and he nodded.

"Alright, I'm ready whenever you are." Yugi said and she nodded. "Ok then. I call upon the power of the God Monster Karana and bequeath thee with his power temporarily." Keara said and in a flash of lightning, his power was transferred to Yugi. Once the transfer was done, she handed Karana's trident to him before turning to Catoblepas.

"Alright, now hold still and I'll transfer your thunder power to the trident so we can start healing you." Keara said and he nodded. She concentrated silently and Catoblepas shivered lightly as he felt his power leaving him.

The lightning sparked and flayed as it was removed from Catoblepas and to the trident. Once all of it was sealed into the trident, Keara and Aqua started working their own magic together to heal Catoblepas while Yugi watched.

* * *

They finally reached the castle and seeing as it was guarded from the entrance, they flew over the wall and landed on the courtyard. "Knowing that most likely there will guards around every corner, we need to stay quiet and sneak by them so we won't catch their attention and have them all coming after us." Jou said and they nodded.

"And what do we have here. Little warriors and two healers from the Light Kingdom. Why are you here?" a voice spoke and they turned around to see Bakura and Crimson standing there. "Why should we tell you? We're here on important business." Jou said, glaring at them.

"Well, if you were to be able to get into the castle, you wouldn't get far with all the Nightstalker guards roaming around but, of course, we are the commanders of the Shadow Palace warriors and we can get you inside only if you give us something in return." Bakura said.

"And what would that possibly be?" Malik asked. "Why not your two healers." Crimson said, looking over to Diamond quietly. "No way! We're not giving them to you! Who knows what you two might have planned for them!" Jou hissed.

Bakura only shrugged his shoulders and turned away. "Fine, then go ahead and sneak into the castle then. But I warn you, if you get caught and King Yami finds you and learns of what you're planning, he will not be happy. We know you're here to take your prince back to his home and both the King and Lord is determine to not let him go back yet until he's ready to confront his parents and tell him his decision." Bakura said as he and Crimson walked off.

"If he knows and so does the king, then we may be in for big trouble. Jou, we're willing to take his offer if it means you guys won't get caught and get sentenced for gods know what for trying to get Yugi back." Ryou said. "No, if we lose you two then that means we'll have to find you along with Yugi and get you three out of the castle." Jou said.

"Jou, I think it's best we just let them get what they want so we can get in here without any trouble. Ryou and Diamond may find a way out without causing much trouble or attention to them." Topaz said.

Jou thought about before sighing and nodded. "Alright but as long as they get out of there before we head back." Jou said and looked over to Bakura and Crimson. "Ok, you got yourselves a deal." he said and Bakura turned back to them with a smirk.

"Good, now follow us and we'll take you inside without the guards noticing you're inside. You're on your own if you want to keep out of their sight." Bakura said and they nodded as they followed him and Crimson into the castle via secret entrance.

"You're on your own from here. If you encounter anyone else, you just better hope they won't throw you into the dungeons once they sense you are from the Light Kingdom." Crimson said and they nodded. "We'll be fine. We only trust you that you both will treat them well." Malik said.

"Don't worry, they'll be fine. We may be commanders of the Dark Kingdom but that doesn't mean we'll treat them wrongly. We only battle those that dare harm our kingdom and its people." Crimson said and he nodded. "Well go on ahead, Ryou and Diamond." Jou said and they nodded as they followed Bakura and Crimson out of the secret path.

"Well, we better get moving as well so we can find Yugi and get out of here without causing to much trouble here." Jou said as they left out of the secret path as well._ 'I just hope those commanders don't rat on us and we get caught anyway.'_ he thought.

* * *

As it became dusk Catoblepas was fully healed. "Thank you, Lord Aqua and Lady Keara, for helping me." Catoblepas murmured. "It was nothing. We couldn't let you stay in this horrible condition without our help since we're so close to your den." Aqua said.

He nodded. "I am grateful and I know the other behemoths are as well. If you don't mind, I would wish to have my power back so I may tell the other behemoths that I'm alright now." Catoblepas said. Keara nodded and looked over to Yugi. "Yugi, come over here please." she said softly and he nodded as he walked over.

"Now, what I want you to do is hold the trident over Catoblepas and concentrate his power back into his body like an electrical current." Keara said and he nodded once more as he did so, closing his eyes and concentrated on his power that was held in the trident. Soon, a spark of lightning appeared and seeped back into Catoblepas' body little by little until a stream of it was flowing from the trident to him.

Catoblepas closed his eyes quietly, relaxing as his power was returned to him. Once the last of his power was returned to him, electricity surged over his body before settling as he stood up. "Ah, that's much better. Thank you, Yugi." Catoblepas said.

Yugi nodded. "It was nothing. I'm just glad I could help." Yugi said as he gave the trident back to Keara who sent it back to Karana's domain. "So, Catoblepas, now that you're healed, are you planning to come to the kingdom to celebrate the festival with us?" Aqua asked as they walked out.

"I will see if I can. I may have a lot to do since I've been injured but if I get it all done before the Black Volts show up, I'll be there." he said and Aqua nodded. "Well, we best be going now since it's getting late. We do hope to see you tomorrow." Aqua said as they left out. Yugi climbed onto his back once more and they were off back to the palace.

* * *

Zypher: And that's all for this chapter. I hoped you enjoyed it and will review.


	6. Festival of the Black Volts

Zypher: Hello, hello and I welcome you to the next chapter of Price of Love. Thanks for your reviews for the last chapter and I hope you will enjoy this chapter just as much.

* * *

Price of Love

Chapter 6

* * *

The next morning, Yugi woke up to Granaldo's nudging and he walked with him to Yami's room for breakfast before they all left out for the festival. The town was abuzz with excitement as people danced and singed in the square, others eating and talking amongst one another. Yugi looked around in awe. "This must be a great celebration." Yugi said. Yami nodded. "Yes, it is. Something as special as this is rarely seen by many. You should feel happy to be able to see this with us." Yami said.

"I know and I am. You and Aqua did alot for me and I wish there was a way to pay you back." Yugi said. "You'll come up with something soon. I know of it." Yami said before looking to one of the stands and walked over. "Would you like to try some dur aelin yave?" Yami asked as he was handed a plate of the fruit.

"What's that?" he asked. "It basically Dark Lake Fruit in another language that we adopted. Those that make small ports on the lake grow these in hidden areas of the lake and provide us with them. They're really sweet." Yami explained, handing him a slice of the black and red speckled fruit.

Yugi took a small bite of it and his eyes lit up in joy. "These are really sweet! It's like a mix of many fruits blended together all into one." Yugi said, taking another bite of the fruit. He smiled as he took a slice of the fruit as well. "Yes, it's still a mystery how such a phenomenon can happen but we aren't complaining much." Yami said as he popped the slice of fruit into his mouth and they continued walking.

As they got closer to the square, people parted for them, praising as they went by. When they got to the center, Yugi watched as he saw some of the performers there dancing to a harmonious beat. When they came to the final bout, they ended in an amazing display of magic.

They applauded and one looked over in their direction. The young man smiled and walked over. "Ah, it's great to see you, King Yami and Lord Aqua." The man said. "It's also nice to see you Andune." Yami said. "So, are you planning to perform for us like you did before?" he asked.

Some of the people cheered for them to do so and Yugi looked up to them in wonder. "You actually perform?" he asked. Aqua nodded with a small chuckle. "Yes, we do. Every festival we have we perform for our people." Aqua said before looking to Andune. "So, which dance would you like us to perform for today?" he asked.

"How about Thalion Yavie Sulie?" Andune asked. They nodded and stepped forward to where the performers were. They moved out the way, taking out a instrument for the piece and both Yami and Aqua got into position. Yugi looked to Keara. "Do you know what he asked?" Yugi questioned, still trying to learn a little about their language. "Yes, he asked if they would do the dance of the Dauntless Autumn Winds. A very beautiful piece if I say so myself. It can be done as a single or with a partner." Keara said and he nodded.

The gentle whistle of a flute started and without a fault in their step, they started to dance with the grace of the gentle winds themselves.

_Cultivate your hunger before you idealize.  
Motivate your anger to make them all realize.  
Climbing the mountain, never coming down.  
Break into the contents, never falling down._

_My knee is still shaking, like I was twelve,  
Sneaking out of the classroom, by the back door.  
A man railed at me twice though, but I didn't care.  
Waiting is wasting for people like me._

Yugi watched in awe as they danced, entranced with their movement. _'Who knew they would spend time learning to dance? But it paid off well.'_ he thought.

_Don't try to live so wise.  
Don't cry 'cause you're so right.  
Don't dry with fakes or fears,  
'Cause you will hate yourself in the end._

_Don't try to live so wise.  
Don't cry 'cause you're so right.  
Don't dry with fakes or fears,  
'Cause you will hate yourself in the end._

Yami looked over to Yugi, never once falling out of step and held a hand out to him. He blushed lightly and shook his head. Keara laughed softly and pushed him forward a bit. He stumbled a bit but Yami was there to help him up. He looked up to him and his blush reddened more. "Oh, I can't dance at all, Yami." Yugi said softly. "Don't worry. I'll lead you." Yami said and he nodded as Yami gently led him through the dance.

_You say, "Dreams are dreams.  
"I ain't gonna play the fool anymore"  
You say, "'Cause I still got my soul."_

_Take your time, baby, your blood needs slowing down.  
Breach your soul to reach yourself before you gloom.  
Reflection of fear makes shadows of nothing, shadows of nothing._

_You still are blind, if you see a winding road,  
'Cause there's always a straight way to the point you see._

_Don't try to live so wise.  
Don't cry 'cause you're so right.  
Don't dry with fakes or fears,  
'Cause you will hate yourself in the end._

The gentle rhythm of the guitar started, accompanying the soft sounds of the violin. Yugi soon got the hang of it and was dancing flawlessly with him. He looked back to him and smiled. Yami looked over to him and smiled back.

_Don't try to live so wise.  
Don't cry 'cause you're so right.  
Don't dry with fakes or fears,  
'Cause you will hate yourself in the end._

_Don't try to live so wise.  
Don't cry 'cause you're so right.  
Don't dry with fakes or fears,  
'Cause you will hate yourself in the end._

_'Cause you will hate yourself in the end.  
'Cause you will hate yourself in the end.  
'Cause you will hate yourself in the end._

_'Cause you will hate yourself in the end._

When the last gentle sound of the violin ended, the people cheered. Yugi looked up to Yami who walked over to him. "You did well for your first time, Yugi." Yami said as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Well, I guess I could say I have a great teacher." Yugi said. Yami smiled and nodded before they walked back over to Keara. "Great job as usual. So, what should we do next?" she asked as they walked away from the crowd, Andune and his crew starting up with a new dance.

"Hmm, I don't know. Is there anything you would like to do Yugi?" Yami asked. "Oh, I don't know but I do wish to try some more of the delicacies of the Dark Kingdom." Yugi said as they walked off from the square. "Then we have the perfect place for you. The Lome Taur has many treats that I know you will love." Yami said as they started heading to the small food dwelling.

* * *

"I can't find Yugi anywhere. How did you guys do?" Jou asked, looking to them. "Nothing. It seems everyone left for the festival Diamond told us about yesterday." Malik said. "And he's right. I remember seeing the King and Lord leave earlier but I hid before they could see me so I don't know if Yugi's with them or not." Kaiser murmured.

"Then I suggest two of us stay in here and the others go out and see if they can find any trace of them." Jou said. "Alright then, me and Malik will stay in here. Maybe we can find Diamond and Ryou while we're doing so." Topaz said and Jou nodded.

"Ok then we'll get out of here and look through that festival for Yugi." Jou said before they parted ways.

* * *

When they finally got to the Lome Taur, Aqua held the door open for them before going inside as well. A young girl with snow white hair looked up before smiling. Hello, King Yami. Came for some of your favorite treats?" she asked. "Yes, Hrive, and bring out some of your other dishes for him. He's new here and he wants to try out some new dishes." Yami said as they went to sit over at a table. "Right away." she spoke before leaving.

"So, what am I'm going to try, Yami?" he asked. "First you will try the Lisse Yave Vene which is a sweet fruit dish that has many of the fruits we grow here, including the dur ailen yave. Accompanied with that will be the Ssinssrigg yulna or passion drink which is another sweet treat that I know you'll like." Yami said. He nodded and talked with one another until Hrive came back out with the dish in one hand and the tray full of the dark liquid drinks in another. "Here you go. Please enjoy and call me if you need anything else." Hrive said before leaving to tend to the others that came in.

"Here, go ahead and try it." Aqua said, passing him a glass. He looked to it curiously before taking a sip and gave a hum of appreciation. "This is great. It's a wonder why the Dark Kingdom would have such sweet things." Yugi said. Aqua took a bite of his dark lake fruit and nodded.

"We may be a dark kingdom but that doesn't mean everything we eat has to be the same. Yes, we do have some delicacies that fits our, as the kingdoms over the lake would say, bloodthirsty taste but that can be rare unless we always eat such like another fruit called the Sereg Irmo but we don't, only on certain occasions, hence it's name." Aqua explained.

"And what does it mean?" he asked, taking a lisse pio, dipping it into the tuia netke. "Blood Desire. In certain occasions with the demon kind, they eat this fruit when they have a desire for blood or as a treat to please their mate before doing so." Yami said. He nodded, blushing lightly at the thought, and they continued to eat, Yami and Aqua explaining more about the kingdom and what the people do. Soon, it was getting close to night and after thanking Hrive, left out to head back to the square once more.

"Are we going to see the Black Volts now?" Yugi asked and Keara nodded. "Yeah. They should be arriving soon." Keara said. "Ah, there's Catoblepas." Yami said, waving him over. He looked over to them before smiling and walking over. "Ah, it's nice to see you all again. The behemoths are pleased that you were able to help before my condition got worse." Catoblepas said.

"It was nothing. We couldn't let your health deteriorate when we could've done something to help." Keara said before looking up and spotted the first Black Volt flying above. "Hey, here they come now." she said, pointing to the one she saw.

Yugi looked up as well and his eyes widened in awe as he watched the winged dragons fly into the town. "They look so wonderful, Yami. I feel so envious that your kingdom get these wonderful creatures to visit here every 100 years." Yugi said as the Black Volts flew down and landed next to one of the people, cooing softly, asking to be pet.

"Don't worry about that. At least you were here to witness this event." Yami said as two Black Volts came over to them, one of them donned in gold plated armor that covered its head, body and the tip of his tail. He held out his arm and one with the armor curled around it, cooing gently. He stroked its head gently, looking to the other, which was much smaller than the first, flying next to Yugi.

The little dragon examined him quietly before giving off a small coo and nuzzled his chest. Yugi laughed softly and wrapped his arms gently around the small dragon, petting his head. "I think he likes me." Yugi said, giggling as the little dragon licked his cheek.

"I see he does. Maybe if Thoron would like to, he and his child will stay here with us instead of heading back. What do you think?" he asked, looking to him. Thoron nodded and flew up a bit to perch himself over Yami's shoulders, his wings wrapping around his neck to keep him secure.

"That's wonderful. Thank you, Thoron." Yugi said, looking to the armored dragon. He nodded his approval and once the migration was complete and some of the Black Volts found home with one of the demon people, they bid Catoblepas goodbye before heading back to the palace.

* * *

"I don't see him anywhere Jou." Kaiser said. "I can't see him either but we can give up. We promised Queen Shiori that we would bring him back. The crowd's diminishing so maybe we can find him somewhere before they get back to the palace." Jou said and he nodded as they looked around once more before Kaiser pointed them out. "Good. The only thing we can do is follow since we don't want to get caught." Jou said and Kaiser nodded as they followed them back to the palace.

* * *

Like Yami told him, some of the Black Volts came to stay inside the palace, flying around and chirping quietly. Thoron went to join them while the small Black Volt stayed with Yugi. "So, did you enjoy today, Yugi?" Yami asked and he nodded eagerly. "Yes! Yes I have! I never had such fun before. I'm glad it was with you three." Yugi said. Keara smiled and pat his head lightly. "Well, I do hope you would plan to stay here. It's nice having you around." Keara said before she left them to head to her room.

"I think I will. It's so great here compared to being back home where I'm nothing but a prince training to be king." Yugi said. The little volt cooed and licked his cheek and Yugi stroked his head. "Well, you know now Yugi you're always welcome to stay here and when you're ready, we can confront your parents of this matter. We will be by your side all the way and I know Keara will as well." Yami said and Yugi nodded. They walked him to his room and Aqua placed a light kiss on his forehead.

"Quel esta, Yugi. Sweet dreams." Aqua said and he nodded, having a good feeling he knows what he said. "Quel esta, Aqua. Same for you, Yami." Yugi said and he nodded. "We'll see you tomorrow morning." Yami said before they left. Yugi watched them go before heading into his room, closing the door behind him.

He looked down to the now sleeping volt and walked over to his bed. He placed the small dragonling on a spare pillow before getting comfortable as well. He looked around the room to the many sleeping pets he had before looking outside to the full moon and he knew he would never leave this place he calls paradise.

_'When we finally see each other again mother, I will tell you the truth. I rather leave my position as prince to live here. And nothing you will say will change it. Yami, Aqua and my new friend Keara will always be but my side. I may be leaving a lot of things behind but sometimes there are sacrifices for what you truly want. Sometimes the price of love is stronger than the price of leaving your memories of your home and friends behind.'_ Yugi thought before falling asleep, feeling the small dragonling snuggle up beside him.

* * *

Zypher: And that's all for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter a lot. The language I used here was actually the unknown or elven language (which I don't own) that I learned a little from reading Ravenx's Mela en' Coiamin (Love of my Life) and looked it up some more. Great story. For those that haven't read it should. Anyways, please leave a nice review and I'll see you in the next chapter.

Note: The song used earlier is the ending theme for Naruto. I thought it was a nice sounding song so I used it. I gave it the name Dauntless Autumn Winds because without the words, the beat, to me, sounds like something you would hear in the autumn. Don't own Naurto or the lyrics. In your minds you can imagine the dance in your own way because I'm horrible at thinking up dance moves.

Translations:

Lisse Pio - Sweet Cherry  
Thoron - Eagle  
Tuia Netke - Spring Honey  
Hrive - Winter  
Quel esta - Rest well  
Lome Taur - Dusk Forest  
Andune - Sunset


	7. A Visit to the Dark Lake

Zypher: Well, I thank you all for reviewing the last chapter so I hope that you will enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Price of Love

Chapter 7

* * *

After a wonderful breakfast, Yugi and Yami went out to spend some time together. "So Yugi, is there anything you'd like to do today?" Yami asked, looking down to him. "Hmm, I don't know. We did so much yesterday, I can't think of anything else." Yugi said.

Yami thought about it before thinking of the perfect thing they could do. "I know what we can do. Come with me." Yami said as he started walking in another direction. Yugi was curious and followed him, wondering what he was planning.

* * *

Back at the palace, Malik and Topaz searched through the corridors quietly so as to not arouse attention since it was still early in the morning. They didn't know thought that they were about to come up upon two that may change their lives.

"I don't see him anywhere. Chances are he won't even be roaming the halls this early. I say we start checking rooms." Topaz said. Malik nodded. "Yeah, you may be right but we have to be careful because if we enter the King or Lord's room, they'll send us to the dungeons without a recurring thought." Malik said.

As they were turning the corner, they didn't know someone was coming until one of them and Malik crashed into each other. The first stayed standing and watched as Malik hit the ground. Topaz looked up and gulped.

"Malik, I think we have a problem." he said. Malik looked up as well and seeing the crest on his armor showed everything. "Great, this has to be the perfect time to crash into the second-in-command of the Dark Kingdom's army. What luck we have." Malik said sarcastically.

"Yes, what luck we both have." Marik said as he looked down to him.

* * *

Yami and Yugi soon reached the Dark Lake and he looked up to Yami. "What are we going to do here?" Yugi asked curiously. "We're going for a swim." Yami said as he started to gather some of his magic. "But...what about the sea monster that lives in the lake?" Yugi asked once more.

"Don't worry about that. The beast that lives in these waters is a gentle creature and protects our land from intruders. The lies your parents told you is to only make our kingdom sound worse." Yami murmured. He nodded and watched as Yami weaved his magic. Soon, the gold and black magic curled around him and then floated over to him, basking him in its warm glow.

Once the magic cleared, Yami started to take off his shirt before telling Yugi to do the same. Blushing, he did so and followed him into the dark waters. "Dive in and you will change into a merman for as long as you're in the lake." Yami said and he nodded.

He dived in, soon followed by Yugi and like the whisper of the wind, his legs changed into a sleek violet tail. He looked over to Yami who was waiting for him and with a little difficulty, he swam over to him. "Come, I'll show you our sea dragon and prove to you that she's harmless." Yami said and swam down towards the bottom of the lake.

Yugi followed behind him, amazed at the aquatic creatures that swam around. A small school of red fish swam by and one came to examine him, swimming around him and tickling him with its flowing feather-like fins.

He smiled and stroked the fish gently as it swam by before it left to its school once more and he went to follow Yami before he loses sight of him. They soon reached the bottom and Yugi saw a large creature sleeping at the bottom. Yami told him to wait there which he did and watched as he swam down and gently pat the creature's head.

She opened her golden eyes and looked to him before sitting up, unwinding her long body from its resting positioned and crooned softly. "It's nice to see you again as well, Gaer. I have someone that I want you to meet." he said and she nodded as she followed behind him to where Yugi was.

Yugi watched as the large sea dragon swam over to him and was slightly scared, still remembering all the things his mother told him about the Dark Lake. Yami swam over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's ok, Yugi, she won't harm you."

He nodded and watched Gaer once more as she came over to him. She examined him closely before taking him gently into her claws and nuzzled him. Yugi laughed softly and tried to squirm away and once he did get free, she only took him again and continued nuzzling him like she would a child. "Is she always this affectionate?" Yugi asked between his laughs.

"Yes, she always wanted a child of her own but there has been no record of sea dragons that come around here through the Cirth Duin. She was the only one and when I was young, I came here and met with her. She was a young adult when we first met and she almost mistook me as a young sea dragon and I was caught up in a situation just like you. It took just as long to pry her off when it came to Aqua when he came." Yami said.

Yugi giggled at the thought and gently stroked her snout. "Well, it's ok with me. I hope another sea dragon will come soon. I don't want her to be lonely." Yugi said. She crooned happily and let him go before swimming back down and uncovered a small hole that was filled with underwater crystals and took a few. She swam back up to him and gave them to him, purring as she nuzzled him. He took them and stroked her snout once more. "She really likes me, doesn't she?" he asked. looking back to Yami.

He nodded. "She does and I know that your friendship with her will last for a long time." Yami said. He swam down beside her and whispered something into her ear. She nodded eagerly and took Yugi's arm gently, letting him hold onto her fins and swam off towards a hidden area of the Dark Lake. Yami followed behind them, glad to see both of them happy.

* * *

Marik looked to Topaz before keeping his gaze on Malik. "So what brings you here? Oh wait, your here for the young prince of the Light Kingdom, aren't you?" Marik said. "Yes and we're going to bring him back home. He doesn't belong here and his mother wants him back where he belongs." Malik said.

"But he doesn't want to go back. He is comfortable here and has many things that he would never get at home. Your little kingdom could never provide the things we can offer to him. Besides, as they all say, the dark can't survive without its light and the king and lord doesn't want to give up what has brighten up their lives." Marik said.

Toben then got a thought and stepped up. "But, if you can win a sword fight against Marik, we won't come near you again as you continue your search for the prince but if you lose, you will have to stay with us." Toben said. "Why would I waste my time with you two? I have more important things to worry about." Malik said as they tried to get pass but they blocked the way once more.

"You can either take the challenge or you can wander through the palace and possibly caught by other guards that won't let you have a chance as easy as this. Once they see the seal of the Light Kingdom, they will send you to the dungeons and inform the king and lord that you're here and he will look for any others that came with you." Marik said.

_'He does have a point. I hate it when the enemy's right.'_ Malik thought before nodding. "Fine, I'll take your challenge and if I do win, you best not tell the king and lord that we are in the palace." Malik said as he unsheathed his sword. Marik did the same and they crossed swords before they got ready. It was silent before Toben gave them the signal and the battle was underway.

* * *

Anzu was making her way towards the palace quickly, still angry that she was thrown out like a cheap noble. "I can't believe them. I was so determined that they would marry me and I would make my mother happy that we now have the Dark Kingdom merged with our own. But they decided they want the Light Kingdom prince instead! I'll show them! I won't let them have what they want if I couldn't have what I wanted ever since I first seen them!" Anzu said as she soon reached the castle gates and got off her pegasus, running inside.

She told the guards why she was here for and they immediately let her in, telling her where the queen was and she was on her way, unaware that she was being followed. "What are we going to do about her? She can't tell the queen that Yugi is at the Dark Kingdom." Ruby said.

"I know, we have to stop her in the hallway that isn't occupied with guards and erase her memory that he was even there." Seto said and he nodded as they continued to follow her until they reached a deserted hallway that didn't have any guards nearby and Seto jumped down to land in front of her.

She stopped and glanced up at him. "Who are you?" she asked fearfully. "I'm the one who will keep you from ruining the Dark Kingdom's king and lord's lives. You won't be telling anyone where the prince is." Seto said.

"No, you can't stop me. The queen needs to know so she can get him back and everything can be back to the way it was before he came to the Dark Kingdom." Anzu said. Ruby jumped down to land behind him. "And why are you so concerned? It's nothing you need to worry yourself about." Ruby said.

"But he took away the life of our precious Fairy Kingdom! If Prince Yugi didn't come to the Dark Kingdom, I could've been married with King Yami and Lord Aqua like my mother promised! But they threw me out just because I was upsetting him and I know that if he wasn't there in the first place, I wouldn't be thrown out carelessly like that!" Anzu said with anger.

"And what makes you think they would take your proposal even with Yugi not being there? First off, Yugi wasn't planning on staying home for long after learning of his fate and second, Yami and Aqua wasn't going to give up their chance of being with Yugi to marry you.

"Their feelings for the young Light prince has run deep for many years and they have never gave up once to at least get a glimpse of the child. They have left gifts and toys for the young prince just to prove that the Dark Kingdom wasn't as horrible as other kingdoms thought it was just because it was hidden." Seto explained.

"It doesn't matter! He ruined the future of the Fairy Kingdom and I'm not going to take that lightly! Now let me pass so I can talk with Queen Shiori." she said once more. Seto only walked forward, Ruby holding her by her shoulders so she wouldn't try to run away and placed his hand on her forehead.

"Forget about Prince Yugi and his home at the Dark Kingdom. He is none of your concern and shouldn't worry about him. Unless you see him again will you remember what you vowed to do but for now, return to you kingdom and forget that we have even spoke to you about this matter." Seto said.

It was like a pause in time as the spell worked its magic and soon, she forgotten about her visit to the Dark Kingdom, seeing Yugi there and what she planned to do. Before she could regain her senses, Seto and Ruby disappeared back up into the rafters of the palace and watched her to make sure she was leaving. She finally returned back to the right state of mind and looked around. "What am I doing here at the Shine Palace? I should be back home by now." Anzu said to herself as she left.

Seto only laughed and he, along with Ruby, soon headed back to make sure Kitargi was still up and running.

* * *

The battle went on fiercely, none of them backing down. Malik was trying to put as much force as he could into his blows but none of them seem to connect, Marik blocking each blow with ease. It wasn't long before Marik disarmed him and held him at sword point, only one swift slice along his neck could end his life.

"It seems that I win. Whoever has been training you obviously hasn't gave you much to defeat me." Marik said. "I could have defeated you. I know I can." Malik snarled but didn't make any sudden movements that could mean the end of his life.

Marik brought his sword down and sheathed it again. "Pick up your sword and come with me. The both of you." Marik said, taking a glance over to Topaz who was trying to sneak off in hopes to find Jou or Kaiser.

He cursed under his breath and the both of them followed Marik and Toben to their new lives in the Shadow Palace. "Don't worry, we won't do anything to harm you, just enjoy your stay here and don't try anything to get the Light Kingdom's prince back home. Yami and Aqua won't be happy and we won't be able to help you two if they find out." Toben said.

Malik and Topaz nodded, not showing their fear but in their thoughts, knew that they didn't want to face the king and lord's wrath if they manage to get Yugi back home and they find out it was them, any of them.

* * *

It was dark in the tunnel they were going through and Yugi held on tightly to Gaer as she swam. "Where are we going, Yami?" Yugi asked, looking towards where he was. "Gaer is taking us to her small underwater cavern that she found during her stay. It's a beautiful place, I assure you that you will love it." Yami said as they soon reached a small opening and Gaer swam upward, climbing out and letting Yugi slide off her back. He looked around and gasped at the beauty of the cavern. It was filled with many of the underwater crystals that he still held in his hand only they were shaped to look like blooming flowers.

He stood up since he was out of the water now and walked over to the walls and touched the crystal flowers delicately. "Are these naturally grown right here in this cavern?" Yugi asked, looking over to Yami who was now standing beside him.

"No, Gaer make these herself and placed them in here. There's another tunnel that leads from here that goes to a crystal deposit that has huge chunks of crystal which she brings back to make into these flowers. She gives some to merchants who sells them in the kingdom and they pay her back with fish for her help and wonderful artistic talents at crafting these flowers." Yami explained, petting Gaer when she came over to them.

Yugi smiled and looked up to Gaer. "These are so wonderful, Gaer. I can't believe my mom would tell me that you are a cruel beast. But is it true that you really destroy boats as they come across the lake?" Yugi asked. "Yes she does but mostly it is thieves that think they can have a chance at being hidden on our lands since the other kingdoms fear coming over here so much. So when they are wanted over the lake at one of the kingdoms, they try to come over here to hide." Yami explained. He nodded. "I hope she will soon learn that your kingdom is not so bad." Yugi said.

"She will in due time. When you meet, you can tell her that yourself." Yami said. Gaer moved over to the wall and took a violet colored crystal flower and red colored crystal flower from the wall and came back over to them. She handed the violet flower to Yami and the red flower to Yugi. "Thank you, Gaer." Yugi said.

She nodded and then Yami thought of something. He took out two pins from his pants pocket and used some of his magic to combine the pin to his flower. He clipped the pin behind his ear and did the same with Yugi's.

"Think of it as a present from me." Yami said and Yugi nodded, a light blush dusting his cheek from the offered gift. Gaer smiled and picked off one more flower, only this one had a swirl of violet and crimson and handed it to Yami.

"I'll give this one to Aqua. That's what you want, right?" he asked and she nodded. "Ok then. We should be heading back now Yugi, it's getting close to lunch and we can head back to the Lome Taur for something to eat." Yami said. "Ok." he said before looking up to Gaer.

"It was nice meeting you Gaer. I hope that we can see each other again." Yugi said and she nodded and they both headed back underwater and swam back to the shore of the Dark Lake.

* * *

After they got something to eat at the Lome Taur, they headed back to the palace. "How about you head back to you room now and get some rest. I'm going to see if Sacred need to be tended to." Yami said before handing the crystal flower to him. "And if you see Aqua, give this to him." he continued before walking off.

He walked off towards his room before stopping at Aqua's room, hearing music playing. He placed his ear against the door and heard him singing softly. _'I wonder what song he's singing?'_ he thought before opening the door quietly and stepped inside.

Aqua was dancing quietly through the room, eyes closed as he predicted each step with grace. He didn't even hear the door open and Yugi watching in awe.

_Uletaj na kryl'jach vetra  
Ty V kraj rodnoj, rodnaja pesnya nasha  
Tuda gde my lubya svobodno peli  
Gde bylo tak privol'no nam s toboju_

_Tam, pod znojnym nebom negoj vozduch polon  
Gde rad govor morja  
Dremljut gory v oblakach_

_Uletaj na kryl'jach vetra  
Ty V kraj rodnoj, rodnaja pesnya nasha  
Tuda gde my lubya svobodno peli  
Gde bylo tak privol'no nam s toboju(1)_

When the song was done, he looked up and saw Yugi sitting on his bed. "Ah, Yugi. I didn't hear you come in. What brings you here?" he asked as he walked over to sit next to him. "Oh, I was just coming by when I heard you singing and it sounded so wonderful that I stepped in to listen." Yugi said. "That's nice of you. Did you enjoy it?" he asked and he nodded. "Yes, I did. Does that song have a name?" Yugi asked.

"Yes, it's called Polovtsian Dances and Chorus. It's a traditional dance in another part of the world and when some of its performers had come here to celebrate the last festival of the Black Volts, we watched them and learned to perform it ourselves from the leader of the performers." Aqua explained.

He nodded. "Do you think one day you can teach me some of the dances and songs you and Yami know?" Yugi asked. "But of course. We will always be willing to teach you new things Yugi. Especially how to speak our adopted language." Aqua said.

Yugi remembered the pin and took it out from his pocket. "Oh and when we went to the lake today, Yami took me swimming so I can meet Gaer and she took us to her underwater cavern, giving us some of her crystal flowers and Yami made pins out of them. He wanted me to give this one to you." Yugi said, handing him the violet and red crystal flower pin to him. "Thank you Yugi." Aqua said, clipping the pin behind his ear. "Did you know these pins could represent an engagement if someone wanted them to?" Aqua questioned.

"Really? I never knew that."

"Yes, many of the demons here do the same thing with these crystal flowers to ensure that no one tries to take another's mate. They make sure to get one that will show which demons are together with for example, yours is crimson which can represent us because of our crimson eyes which no other demon has and because of that, no demon would dare touch you or try to claim you as their own. But of course, these pins can just resemble the friendship we have for each other." Aqua said.

Yugi nodded, now wishing that the pins could represent a engagement between them. _'But they don't know I love them so of course they won't push me into marrying them if they believe that I may think about going home. Hopefully soon I can tell them that I love them before I leave to make my decision with my mom that I want to stay here with them.'_ Yugi thought before standing up. "Well, I better get back to my room. It's been a long day and I wish to take a little nap before dinner." Yugi said.

He nodded. "Ok then, get some sleep and I'll come to wake you up." Aqua said and he nodded as he left the room. "Quel kaima a'maelamin poikaer. Amin mela lle." Aqua said softly before he decided to relax as well.

* * *

Zypher: And that's all for now. Love's in the air and none doesn't want to tell their feelings. Oh what will they do? You will find out in the next chapter. I do hope you enjoyed this chapter and will leave a nice review. Since I'm having fun with these chapter, I might have the next one up soon so watch out for it. See you next time.

Translations

Gaer - Sea  
Cirth Duin - Runes River  
Quel kaima a'maelamin poikaer. Amin mela lle - Sleep well my beloved pure one. I love you.

(1) - These are the lyrics for the Russian Polovtsian Dances and Chorus. I happen to be a DDR fanatic and I got a copy of DDR Extreme 2 for Christmas and when I heard this song for the first time, I couldn't help but love it (especially the animation with it) and had to put it in here somewhere. If you want to listen to it (if you haven't heard the original version from the opera Prince Igor) then type in radio blog club on google and click on the first link. Search for Polovtsian Dances and you should get two choices.

These choices are both same thing only with different music so pick one you wish to listen to and enjoy. It's a great song and I hope you will enjoy it too.


	8. Yugi's Decision

Zypher: And like I said, I have the next chapter for you. I thanked those that have left a good review for the last chapter and I hope that you will enjoy this one just as much. We'll finally have something exciting happening. Read on.

* * *

Price of Love

Chapter 8

* * *

Jou and Kaiser continued to walk through the hallways, barely escaping the searching eyes of the Nightstalker guards. "Jou, I think it's best we head back now. We won't be able to find Yugi at this rate and chances are if we did, we may be seen by the king and lord and we can't afford that. We already lost Ryou and Diamond to the captains and we haven't seen Malik or Topaz anywhere even as big as the palace is." Kaiser said.

Jou sighed and nodded. "You're right, let's get out of here before we are found. We need to think of a way to get across the Dark Lake since we don't have Ryou and Diamond to transport us back over." Jou said as they made their way out the palace quickly.

"We can try to find a spare boat somewhere. Just hope we won't be caught by anyone here." Kaiser said and he nodded as they soon escaped out the secret entrance that Bakura showed them a few days ago and made their way over the wall of the palace, heading back into the town to find anything they can use to get back over the lake.

* * *

As it was getting close to dinner, Aqua was making his way over to Yugi's room, humming a tune softly as he walked. He reached his room and opened the door quietly. He smiled softly as he saw Yugi was still asleep comfortably in his bed, Uial curled up beside him while the other were resting calmly in their places, watching over him.

Zairu stood up along with the others and left out the room to head to the dining hall. Monolith was the only one to stay behind and looked to Aqua. "Lord Aqua, will you and King Yami soon tell that you love him?" he asked.

"In due time Monolith. In due time. He may be getting used to living here but he still needs to confront his mother and we don't want to make his decision harder if he still has thoughts about staying home." Aqua said. He nodded. "Manka lle merna, we can help as much as we can if you need it." Monolith said.

"If we wish it, you can help but let's wait just a while longer. We can plan something out when he is slumbering for the night." Aqua said and he nodded once more as he left out. "Wake up, poikaer. It's time for dinner." Aqua said and he yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Hmm, oh, good evening Aqua, it's already time for dinner already?" he asked as he gently woke Uial from his sleep and he squeaked softly before opening his eyes and looking up to him, giving off another small squeak. "Yes, come now, everyone is waiting in the dining hall for us." Aqua said, leaving out the room and he slipped out from his bed and placed on another attire and left out his room, looking up to him. "I'm ready now." He said, Uial perched on his shoulder. "Then let's get going then." he said as they headed down to the dining hall.

* * *

"Come on little healer, we're going down to eat." Bakura said and Ryou nodded. "Will I see Yugi in the dining hall?" he asked. "Yes you will but don't mention anything about you being from the Light Kingdom. I am not responsible for what the king and lord may do to you and your friends cause with the current bout with your queen and them hasn't be settled yet so chances are we won't know what will happen to anyone she sent here to retrieve the prince." Bakura said and he nodded once more as they left out, meeting up with Crimson and Diamond on the way.

* * *

"I'm not going." Malik said as he lied down on the bed Marik brought in for him. "Do you at least want to see that your prince is alright and not harmed? I won't be able to bring anything up for you cause I need to feed the beasts tonight." Marik said. "I'm not eating anything from here. I want to head back to my own kingdom." he said, turning over to his side.

Marik sighed before walking over to him. "Alright, I know you think the kingdom is so bad but I promise you, it's not as bad as the people of the Light Kingdom said it is. Just come downstairs and eat and tomorrow, I'll show that the kingdom is not horrible in any way." Marik said.

Malik finally sat up and looked to him. "Fine if it will get you to leave me alone." Malik said as he stood up and walked over to the door but Marik stopped him. "You know you have to change out your armor. If the king or lord sees your seal, we won't be able to stop them from doing who knows what because you're trying to get the prince back." Marik said. He groaned but nodded and Marik handed him something to wear, leaving out the room afterwards. Once he was in his new clothing, he left out the room and followed Marik downstairs.

* * *

Toben was already taking Topaz downstairs, nipping at his ear lightly. He laughed softly before pushing him away softly. "Don't you think we're taking this a little too fast? I mean, we met only a few hours ago." Topaz said. "I know but having you around me makes it pretty hard to not do anything to you. I would never suspect Light Kingdom people to look as good as you do." Toben said as he licked his cheek lightly. "Well let's take it slow just a bit, ok Toben?" he asked. He snorted lightly before nodding.

"Fine but I won't be responsible for what I do to you." Toben said with a smirk as they continued their way downstairs. "Hey Toben, do you think you will be able to show me some of the kingdom?" he asked. "Of course. I was planning on doing so anyway so I can show you that our kingdom isn't as bad as the Light Kingdom and all other kingdoms say it is. We are just like them but since we stay hidden, they decided they want to talk ill about is just because of that and that we're shapeshifting demons." Toben said.

Topaz felt bad for him, knowing that when he and Malik we're young, their mother always told them that the Dark Kingdom is something to fear because of their location and their race._ 'She was wrong. They're not as bad as we think and I know that Yugi may be able to change that for everyone. It makes me wonder if the other kingdoms were the reason the Dark Kingdom separated themselves from the mainland.'_ Topaz thought and was contemplating asking Toben about it later.

* * *

They all came in later Yugi looked up to greet them but gasped when he saw Ryou, Malik, Diamond and Topaz. _'So I wasn't seeing things that day, they were here. Oh I hope Yami and Aqua doesn't find out they're from the Light Kingdom.'_ Yugi thought. Yami looked to him. "Is something wrong, Yugi?" he asked.

Yugi shook his head and waited for them to sit at the table. He looked over to Ryou while Yami was speaking to the others. "Ryou, what are you doing here? Don't you know the risk you're taking by coming here? Yami and Aqua aren't really fond of anyone else from the Light Kingdom except me." Yugi whispered.

"I know, you mother told us to come and see if we can get you back but as you can see, some of us were taken in but Jou and Kaiser should still be around here somewhere if, hopefully, they didn't get caught in the halls." Ryou explained. "I wish my mom will just give up with this. I like living here and it's not as bad as everyone back home says it is. I just hope she won't start a war because I want to stay here instead of coming back home." Yugi said.

"But why is the question, Yugi. Why do you want to stay here? Yes I along with Diamond, Topaz and Malik can see that the king and lord is taking care of you well but what does the kingdom itself have to offer for you?" Ryou asked.

Yugi looked down to his food before looking back to him. "I love them. I never thought I would since they're the king and lord of their kingdom but I do. I don't want to leave them but with my mom so bent on trying to bring me back so I can take the throne and get married I might have to and I don't want to." Yugi murmured.

"Well it's your choice now, Yugi. You can stay or you can head back home. We won't do anything to stop you but you have to make the choice that's satisfying for you." Ryou said. He nodded and continued to eat once more, hoping to talk more with his friends soon.

* * *

As they were heading back to their rooms after dinner, Yugi looked up to Yami. "Yami, is it ok if I can talk with my friends tomorrow?" he asked softly. "Yes you may. You can all gather in the gardens tomorrow to talk." He said. Yugi smiled and hugged him. "Thanks, Yami." Yugi said as the stopped by his room. He bid Yami and Aqua goodnight before heading inside with his beasts.

He sat down on the bed and Uial cooed softly. He looked down to him and had a thought. "Uial, can you do something for me?" he asked and he nodded. "I want you to head to the Light Kingdom and see what my mother is doing. If she mentions something about war, come back quickly and tell me cause I want to stop her before any forces advance onto the Dark Kingdom." Yugi said and he crooned once more before licking his cheek and soon flew out the window.

He watched him go before lying down in bed and placed a hand over the crystal flower clip. _'Soon, I will tell you both and I'll never have to leave.'_ Yugi thought before curling up under the warm sheets and fell asleep, the beasts watching him with happiness glittering in their eyes.

_'Hopefully everything will go well for you, young one.'_ Fenrir thought as he walked over to jump onto the bed as well and curled up onto the sheets at the end of the bed. Rosell joined him to lie at the head of the bed next to him. The others took their places to guard him and fell asleep as well.

* * *

In Yami's room, he and Aqua thought about what to do about Yugi's mother. "We will have to speak with her soon. I know that soon she will try and fight us for her son back and she knows herself that she won't be able to stand up to our beasts and I know that Yugi doesn't want anyone to get hurt." Aqua said. Yami nodded.

"But it all depends on Yugi's choice. If he wants to leave then he can. If he wants to stay then she will have to work that out for herself. Chances are that Yugi may convince her to merge our kingdoms together. Light can't survive without the darkness and the darkness can't survive without its light. If she takes Yugi by force then she will ruin both kingdoms." Yami said.

He nodded before sighing lightly. "But should we tell Yugi our feelings for him? He should know just in case something happens." Aqua said, looking to him. "Yes, you do have a point. We'll tell him tomorrow after he talks with his friends." Yami said and he nodded once more before getting up. We'll I'm heading to my room. Quel esta, Yami." Aqua said as he headed to the door. "Quel esta, Aqua." Yami said. Aqua left out the room and headed to his own.

* * *

Jou and Kaiser finally reached the palace before midnight and quickly made their way to the King and Queen's room. Jou knocked on the door and it was a while before Kitargi opened the door. "Ah, Jou. Kaiser. What brings you here?" he asked. "We have some grave news about Yugi's location." Jou said.

Shiori quickly sat up from the bed and walked over to them. "What is it?" she asked, fearing the worse. "We had found him and he's currently living in the palace with King Yami and Lord Aqua. We tried our best to get him but he was always seen with one of them and knowing if they were to see us, they might punish us for trying to bring him back." Kaiser explained.

She sighed and went back into the room, sitting on the bed and placing her head into her hands. Kitargi walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe it was meant to be. They predicted it and it came true. Maybe we should let him go." Kitargi said. "No! I can't allow this! He must come back or our kingdom will fall!" Shiori said. "But how? We can't possibly go to war. We will be defeated before we can reach the gates." Jou said. "We must. We have no choice now. They have the prince and we must get him back." Shiori said.

Kitargi looked to her before turning back to Kaiser and Jou. "Where are Ryou, Malik, Topaz and Diamond? They did not come in with you." he asked. Jou looked down solemnly. "In order to get inside without getting caught, their commanders Bakura and Crimson led us to a hidden entrance but we have to give something up for it and they wanted Ryou and Diamond. I didn't want to but they agreed to do so and we couldn't find them during the time we were looking for the prince. We split up after that and when we left, we never encountered Malik or Topaz." Jou said.

That roused Shiori's temper even more. "That vile Dark Kingdom. Taking our best healers and our backup commanders." she growled before looking to Jou. "Get your troops ready and send a messenger to the other kingdoms tonight, we'll leave at noon tomorrow." Shiori said. Jou wanted to protest but since she was queen, he had to follow.

"As you wish." he said before they left out the room. Kitargi looked to her. "Are you sure this is wise?" he asked. "We have to dear. We can't let them keep Yugi there. We must get him back along with the others." Shiori said.

They didn't see Uial there and he quickly flew back to the Dark Kingdom to tell Yugi of the impending war.

* * *

Jou and Kaiser walked through the halls, heading back to their rooms with solemn thoughts. "We can't do this. I don't want to risk people's lives to help the queen saves Yugi's. He actually seems to be enjoying his stay there." Jou said. "And that's where he will stay." another voice spoke as Seto and Ruby came down from their hiding spots. "Who are you and why are you here?" Kaiser demanded. "There is no need to tell you our names nor do we need to tell you our work that we are to do here which shall end soon." Ruby said.

"What do you mean? Tell us why you're here!" Jou said, looking to Seto. "You will find out soon enough. For now, you shall only know that everything we'll be settled soon." Seto said, gazing over him which sent a shiver up his spine before they left once more. "They seem to be from the Dark Kingdom but why would they be here of all places?" Kaiser said as he went to stand next to him. "I don't know but I feel that their intentions are good." Jou said and he only nodded as they went to tell their troops of the upcoming war.

_'I have a feeling that their visit is more than that or at least is going to mean more than whatever they are doing here. As long as they're not trying to harm the king or queen I won't have to resort to killing them.'_ Jou thought.

* * *

Uial flew back with a frantic titter, waking up Granaldo. He yawned and looked to him. /What's wrong Uial?/ he asked. He fluttered before him, squeaking his message frantically and he woke up quickly, standing up. /No! She doesn't really plan on doing this, does she?/ he asked once more and Uial only squeaked again, confirming his fears. /No, this can't happen./ he said softly before running over to Yugi's bedside, waking him up along with the others. "What's wrong, Granaldo?" he asked softly.

/Uial came back with grave news. Your mother is coming to the Dark Kingdom at noon to claim war upon us to get you and your friends back./ Granaldo said and he shot up in bed, getting up. "No! Not now!" he said with worry. /Yes. Her forces along with the other kingdoms if they agree will be coming at noon tomorrow./ he continued. /Should I warn Yami and Aqua?/ he asked. "Yes, please do. I need to sit down." Yugi said as he went to sit back down on the bed. Uial crooned softly as he flew over and curled up in his lap.

He stroked his head lightly and Monolith walked over to him. /Don't worry. I know your words will end this fight your mother has with Yami and Aqua./ he said as he patted his shoulder lightly. "I know. It's time I tell her where my life is going to be from now own." Yugi said.

* * *

Yami paced in the room after hearing the news from Granaldo and told him to fetch the others. "Curse that woman. Hopefully Yugi will make the decision that will satisfy everyone." Yami said. The others came in and looked to him. "So, what's the plan, Yami?" Aqua asked. "We'll counter her forces with the beasts at the lake. Crimson, I'm counting on you to make as many low casualties as you can. We don't need anyone dying.

"Yugi, Aqua and I will encounter her and speak with her and also fetch Ruby and Seto, letting Kitargi rest in peace. If all goes well and depending if Yugi wants to stay with us, we'll invite her over to the Dark Kingdom and prove to her that it's not as horrible as she thinks. If Yugi decides to go home, then he may and he will have to take his friends with him." Yami explained.

"But why, they haven't been here for more than a day at the most." Toben argued, not at all ready to leave Topaz's side. "They will have to go back with him or dear Shiori will complain. I can already tell you're all in the same situation as us and want to keep them here, am I right?" Aqua questioned, looking to them. They nodded. "Ok then, remember what you are to do." Yami said. "Not that I want to ask but are you sure this may work? Yugi's mother may be stubborn and won't give up so easily." Keara said.

"I'm sure he will be able to convince her." Yami said once more.

* * *

The next day, all the kingdom's forces were starting to gather near the lakes, flags raised. At the front stood Shiori with Kitargi. On the other side, Yami, Aqua and Yugi stood at the front with their beasts, including the behemoths, behind them. A harsh wind blew by, swirling around the snow gathered onto the ground into small drifts that went by them.

Shiori glared at them. "I have claimed war upon your kingdom, King Yami! Give us back our son and we will leave you alone unharmed." she told them. "We cannot do that! It's his decision now and I promise you that his choice will be effective on both of us." Yami said back to her.

"I don't care! My son need to return back where he is loved and it's certaintly not in the Dark Kingdom." she said once more. "You don't know what you are talking about and this is getting pointless, if you wish to fight then so be it." Yami said once more as he whispered a spell and soon, the lake stood still, a glassy film running over it to create a path. "Go now! We'll talk with Shiori ourselves." Aqua said and Crimson nodded as he looked back to the beasts. "Charge in now and remember, do not kill anyone!" he said and the beasts nodded as they started to cross.

Without another word, the others charged in as well, weapons drawn and battle cries heard. Yami whistled and with a deafening roar, Rathalos showed up. He landed and they climbed onto his back. "Go now, we must reach my mom." Yugi said and he nodded as he took to the air.

* * *

Shiori saw them coming and would've told the archers to shoot at them but she didn't want to harm Yugi. Rathalos landed no sooner and Yugi jumped down from his back, walking over to his parents. Yami and Aqua followed behind silently. "Oh son, why did you head over to the Dark Kingdom? You know it's dangerous over there." Shiori said. "It's not how you think mom. The Dark Kingdom is like any other kingdom, only more secluded. They have treated me well and haven't done anything to harm me. I am fine there and I want to stay there." Yugi said.

"But Yugi, you can't do that. You must come back. I don't know what forces are keeping your father alive but it will leave and he will die. Do you want our kingdom to fall?" she asked. "No but there is another way but you must trust me." Yugi said. "But of course I will trust you. What is it you want to do?" she asked.

"I want you to come with me to the Dark Kingdom and see its wonders. I promise you that it's no different from ours. You will enjoy it there and I know that you will want to merge our kingdom with there so I can still rule over it with them by my side." Yugi said. "I can't and I won't! I'm sorry Yugi but I just can't go to the Dark Kingdom. Come on back home and all of this will be over. You'll be the new king and you'll have a beautiful wife by your side." Shiori said.

"I'm sorry mom but if you can't accept my decision then I won't come back. I'm staying in the Dark Kingdom with Yami and Aqua and you can't change that." he said. "But why Yugi? Why won't you come back home? To your real home?" she asked, trying to wrap her arms around him but he backed away.

"Because I love them and I won't leave them just to rule over a kingdom with a false love." Yugi said, placing a hand on the clip that still rests behind his ear. "And with this clip, I will stay with them not only as their lover but as their fiance if they will accept it." he said, turning to them.

"If you wish it Yugi then we shall be engaged. We have loved you ever since we have first seen you as a infant and I knew that some good will come to us as long as we have waited and you have came into our lives. We couldn't wish for anything more than that." Yami said and Yugi smiled as he ran into his arms. "I'm glad to make you both happy. I couldn't wish for anything more than to be with you two." Yugi said. Aqua looked to Shiori. "Now, are you going to accept this relationship or shun it like you did with our kingdom?" he asked, looking dead into her eyes.

"I guess I'll have no choice but I will still try to convince him to come back. He should be home where he belongs but for now, I will accept his choice." she said before looking to him. "Yugi, if something ever happens over there, you still have you home in the Light Kingdom." she told him. He nodded, knowing there is little chance that something would actually happen that would make him leave, and turned to Rathalos.

"We're done here. Go and give the others the signal." Yugi said and he nodded as he turned to where the fight was still occuring and roared out loud, catching their attention. Crimson and the beasts backed away before marching back over the lake.

"The war is done now! We have come to an agreement!" Yugi said and the other kingdom soldiers looked to him before marching back. He turned back to his mother. "And please mom, I tell you now that I will be fine over there. If I need to, I'll visit but don't come after me and try to force me to come home. Yami and Aqua will take care of me like they have been." Yugi said and she nodded. He walked off and climbed onto Rathalos' back. Aqua followed him but Yami stayed behind and looked to Shiori.

"Your husband will finally die tomorrow night. Our sorcerers have done their job." Yami said. "So that why he has been alive this long when his heart was suppose to fail! Why did you do that?" she asked. "So Yugi wouldn't have to go back home just because his father was gone. We wanted to give him the choice of whether to come home or stay and we both knew that if he hears of his father dying, he would think he would have to come back for fear that his home would be in ruin without a king.

"He still cares for the Light Kingdom but with you forcing him into things he doesn't want just yet, he finds comfort within us." Yami said as he soon walked off with a swipe of his dark cape and climbed up behind Aqua and Rathalos was off once more, the lake returning to normal.

She watched them go before commanding the troops the head back to their own kingdoms and mounted onto her horse. "Come on everyone, we must go now." she said and they nodded as they headed back to the Light Kingdom.

* * *

Keara, learning of Gaer's predicament, asked Yami when they got back if he would like Thundercrest Isle to be the center of the Dark Lake. "I think that's a great idea. This will also help protect Veeshan's children. Have you already told her of this idea?" Yami asked. "Yes and she will gladly give Vishimtar the power to transform into a sea dragon so Gaer will have someone there for her since no other sea dragons come through the Cirth Duin. She may get her children after all cause I wouldn't want to see her alone and childless anymore when she wishes for it so much." Keara said.

"That's nice of you. Well, whenever you're ready, you can go ahead and bring Thundercrest Isle here. Me and Yugi will go and visit her in a few weeks to see how everything's going." Yami said and she nodded. "Ok then and congratulations on your engagement. I hope that you and Aqua will keep him happy." Keara said. "Don't worry, he will always be happy by our side. There's no doubt about that." Yami said. She nodded once more before bidding him a good day and left to work on bringing Thundercrest Isle to the Dark Lake.

"And I guess I can ask Yugi if he would like a ride around the forest where the T-Rexaurs aren't living in." Yami said to himself as he headed for Yugi's room.

* * *

Zypher: And that's all for now. My god this was a long chapter but it was worth it. I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter and will leave a nice review. Now I shall get to work on another story that I have in mind so look out for it cause it will be filled with limey goodness and lots of humour. See you in the next chapter.

Translation:

Manka lle merna - If you wish

Uial - Twilight


	9. Bonding Marks

Zypher: Hi all and welcome to the next chapter to the Price of Love. Thanks for reviewing the last chapter so please, enjoy.

* * *

Price of Love

Chapter 9

* * *

It was a few days after the short war with the Light Kingdom and everything was back to normal. Both Yami and Aqua now accepted Yugi's friends freely into the palace after Yugi explained to them about them being there. Of course, if they were to stay, they would have to get anything they needed from the Light Kingdom.

So the next day, they left, promising to come back soon. Yugi waved to them as they left, standing beside Aqua. Once they were gone, he turned to him. "So, what can we do today?" Yugi asked.

"Whatever you would like to do. You know that I would agree to anything you wish to do." Aqua said. "Hmm, how about we go to the aviary dome. I would like to see Rathalos and Rathian again." Yugi said. He nodded and taking his hand, they left for the aviary dome.

* * *

Back at the Fairy Kingdom, Anzu was waking up, starting to remember what happened last time._ 'I remember that I was at the palace and I encountered two people there that shouldn't have been there. I can't remember their names but they casted a spell on me. But what was it for?' _she thought before a thought crashed into her mind.

_'That's right, the prince. That smug little Light Prince stole my soon to be husbands from the Dark Kingdom. I was suppose to tell the Queen of the Light Kingdom about her son's location but those two men stopped me! I must see if I can convince them again.'_ she thought as she got out of her bed and left her room.

* * *

Yugi stroked Rathalos' head as he sat beside the large wyvern. He purred in content as his tail swished lightly back and forth. Rathian watched silently, mirth shining her features as she stood beside Aqua who had Azzere and Hayoc wrapped gently around his neck. He too was also smiling softly as he watched them.

"After those few days, Rathalos seems to have missed you. I do believe he has taken great attraction to you." Aqua said. "I believe he did but I don't mind. In your terms, that would mean more protection for me just in case you or Yami weren't nearby."

"Yes, you are right about that." Aqua said as he stroked Azzere's head before letting him fly off to join his kin. A few of the Black Volts that stayed in the dome came down to land beside them, curled up beside their feet.

Rathalos looked up suddenly catching Yugi's attention. "What's wrong, Rathalos?" he asked. Rathalos didn't make any sort of confirmation of anything, only stood and spread out his wings, flying off. Yugi stood up and watched him go. "Do you think he sensed something?" he asked, looking to Aqua.

"I think he did and I best go with him. You stay here with the other beasts in the dome. We can't trust that whoever caught Rathalos' attention friendly." Aqua said as he climbed onto Rathian's back, Hayoc moving away from his neck and curled around Yugi's before she flew off behind Rathalos.

Yugi watched as they left before sitting back down on the ground, hoping for their safety just in case it was something deadly. Hayoc gently nuzzled his cheek while the Black Volts curled up around him to comfort him.

* * *

Anzu was making her way through the forest on her pegasus, hoping to get to the palace on time but was hindered when she came across a behemoth. /What are you doing here?/ The behemoth questioned.

"I came here to meet with King Yami and Lord Aqua once more." Anzu said. /Sorry but all ties to your kingdom with the Dark Kingdom has been severed. You are not allowed to come to the Dark Kingdom anymore./ The behemoth spoke.

"But how? I was supposed to be their bride before this mess with the Light Prince started!" Anzu said.

/Well now, you are not for they have chosen said Light Prince as their fiance. They have already exchange clips with the young prince and once the prince bores the marking of the king and lord, their engagement is official and nothing will break it./ The behemoth said.

"No, I won't let this happen. That prince must go back to his kingdom and never come back!" she demanded, glaring at the behemoth. He only snorted at her. /I am not the one you should be demanding this to. If you dare to even try, you should talk to the king or lord themselves./ he said.

"Fine, I will and I will straighten things out." Anzu said and was about to continue on her way to the kingdom but was stopped once more when Rathalos landed in front of her, snarling. Her pegasus reared up and she lost her grip, falling to the ground as it flew off back to the Fairy Kingdom. Rathian landed behind Rathalos and Aqua jumped off her back. He saw Anzu getting back up and his eyes narrowed.

"How dare you come back to our kingdom? What is it that you want?" he questioned. "I want to talk with you about this engagement you have with the Light Prince. How could such rulers thinks of something like this?" Anzu asked.

"Because, this is a relationship that has happened way before the questionable marriage with you. We have hoped for a long time that we would have Yugi's hand in marriage and now that this day has finally come, nothing would change our mind about it." Aqua said. "But, you can't do this to me, to the Fairy Kingdom. You must reconsider." Anzu said.

"No, the decision is final and nothing you can do will change that. Rathalos, send her home." Aqua said and he nodded as he took flight and grabbed her by his talons, flying back towards her kingdom.

He then turned to the behemoth. "And I thank you for stopping her advances." Aqua said. /It was no problem. I had to do something before she could've done something that could hurt or harm Yugi./ he said. He nodded once more and mounted onto Rathian's back.

"I best be getting back now before I worry Yugi. Hope you have a good day." Aqua said before Rathian flew off once more. The behemoth watched as they left before he went back to patrolling the forest.

* * *

Shiori still sat in her room, still in shock that her son would marry the rulers of the Dark Kingdom. Kitargi, with all the strength he could muster since his heart problem was now starting to affect him, tried to comfort the best he could. "It's alright dear. It's about time we let him make his choices." Kitargi said.

"I know but I still think that Yami and Aqua are up to something. We raised Yugi to become a just ruler but then he runs off to the embrace of the enemy. I care about his choices but I still want him to return home." Shiori said.

"But you know you can't force him to coming back home. You can still talk to him but I know you won't be able to make him come back. I say that it's best you put the Dark Kingdom's differences aside and merge with them for our kingdom's safety and that of our son." Kitargi said.

She sighed before nodding. "Ok then. I will let him stay but I must go to the kingdom myself to make sure it is sutable for him. I will not let him stay and something is bound to happen to him." Shiori said.

"I don't know why you bother putting yourself through all this trouble. Yugi is fine and I can think that we can trust Yami and Aqua to keep him safe." Kitargi said. "I know but I still want to know he's safe. He is still my son and I will care for him until I die." Shiori said.

* * *

Yugi looked up when he saw Rathian coming in and Aqua jumped off her back. "Where's Rathalos?" he questioned. "He'll be back soon. That princess from the Fairy Kingdom tried to come back to argue with us about our choice of betrothal and I wasn't in the mood to hear it from her so I told him to drop her back off at her kingdom." Aqua said.

"Oh, she must be angry then. Do you think she might ask her parents to wage war upon you since you backed out from the marriage you had wth her?" Yugi asked as he gave Rathian one last stroke of her head before they left out the dome.

"No, even if they would agree with her, their warriors aren't strong enough to defeat our beasts. They may have been there to witness them not killing anyone off in the last war but this one will mean possible casualties." Aqua said. Yugi nodded before sighing lightly. "All this trouble makes me think I'm the one that started all this." Yugi said.

"Don't say that. It wasn't your fault at all. It was our choice to bring you here in the first place. You have a wonderful life and you don't have to worry yourself about following the rules of your kingdom. Just think, how would you feel if you never came here? Never getting the chance to see the rare Black Volts, never trying the many foods we serve and communing with monsters that were said to be deadly by other kingdoms? Would you want to be back home, taking place as king and dealing with a person you may never love?" Aqua questioned.

"No, I don't want that. You're right, my life here is better and I never want that to change." Yugi said. "That good cause we don't want it to change either."

* * *

Later in the day, as it was slowly approaching nightfall, Yami walked over to Yugi's room. He was inside playing with Uial when he looked up to Yami's arrival. "Oh, hi Yami. What brings you here?" he asked. "I want you to come with me for a swim. I have something I wish to share with you." Yami said. He nodded and after placing Uial back down on his pillow, he left out with him.

When they reached the lake, they walked in and Yami led Yugi to where he wanted to be. "Why are we here, Yami?" he asked. "Because, as my betrothed, not only do we need to exchange clips but to also have you bear the markings of Dark Kingdom's King and Lord. I want to give you mine while I have the time so if something were to happen to your clip, you'll still have my mark to show you are my betrothed and have no other demon touch you in any way." Yami said. Yugi nodded to his explanation. "How does this work. It won't hurt me will it?" Yugi asked.

"No, not at all. It's a sinple bonding spell that will leave the marking on your arm and your mind will be linked with mine to ensure our bond." Yami said. He nodded once more. "Will I have to do anything?" he asked once more. "No, I'll do everything." Yami said and brought Yugi into his arms and placed a hand upon his left arm.

He chanted softly and his arm started to glow with a dark light. He watched curiously before he felt Yami turn his face towards him and leaned down to kiss him softly. He returned the kiss softly and as they kiss, the marks started to appear upon his arm. It was a short while but once the marks were completed, Yami broke the kiss. Yugi looked down to the marks before looking back to him, a small smile lightening his features.

"Thanks." Yugi said. "It was nothing. I know that demons that shouldn't belong in our kingdom would dare try and take you away from us not only because you are a prince but because you are our betrothed and any evil minded demon would try and take you to hold you for ransom. I for one will not let that happen to you." Yami said.

He smiled and hugged him lightly. "How about we go and see Gaer for a while before we head back." Yugi suggested and he nodded as they swam in the direction of Gaer's home.

* * *

After visiting Gaer and seeing that she was doing well with Vishimtar's company, they headed back to the castle. Yami bid Yugi goodnight before retiring to his room. Yugi walked back to his own and walked inside. Granaldo looked to him and smiled. /I see you have gotten your first set of marking from the king already./ Granaldo said.

"Yes and I'm grateful he gave them to me. The last thing I want to happen is for me to be taken away by someone and Yami or Aqua won't have a way to get to me." he said as he sat upon his bed.

/Don't worry about that. If someone dared to even try to come in, we're here to help you from danger./ Agama hissed as he climbed upon the bed and moved over to Yugi. He nodded and stroked his head, looking out the window for a short while before he got ready for bed.

* * *

Later in the night, Shiori left the castle and donning commoner's clothing, took a boat across the lake. Once it reached one of the ports, she left, telling the servant to wait there, and started making her way to the kingdom. She went through the barrier and gasped at the beauty of the kingdom.

_This is how the Dark Kingdom truly is? And to think, I thought it was a dark placed filled with bloodsucking demons.'_ she thought as she walked around, quietly examining the homes and people who were still out.

_'It just like any other kingdom, only secluded. And they were probably secluded only because we shunned them, thinking that they were evil and a disgrace to our lands.' _she thought once more.

Once she believed she explored enough, she returned back to her boat and left back to the other side of the lake.

_'Maybe I was wrong into thinking Yugi won't be safe there. If the people aren't as I always thought, what are the chances that Yugi would be hurt in someway by Yami or Aqua? Maybe I should agree with what he wants to do. I know that they will keep him safe.'_ she thought as the boat reached the other side and she made her way back to her kingdom.

* * *

Zypher: And that's all for this chapter. Hoped you enjoyed this chapter and will be waiting for the next.


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